Care
by Lily Sang
Summary: Sequel to Opposites Attract. Years after Cell, Bulma and Vegeta are becoming more and more important to each other. But will they finally accept this? Or will they get torn apart before they can even tell the other?
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey everyone! I'm finally back! These past few weeks have been insanely busy (I took a train for three days to Ottawa, spent some time there, four hours by train to Toronto, stayed at a friend's house there then finally trained back to my city, while trying not to succumb to a cold for a LOT of the time), but I've managed to get the first chapter ready._**

**_So, if you haven't read the first story which this is prequel to, I highly recommend that you do. It's called Opposites Attract. And, I'll stop blathering._**

**Here it is, the first chapter of... Care.**

Chapter 1

Bulma sat in her favorite café with Trunks, waiting for their lunch to be served.

Her son just had his eighth birthday a few days ago, and now that all the hectic celebrations were over Bulma needed to wind down. It had started with her parents throwing them an overly lavish party, inviting all their upper-class friends so that they could show off their grandson. Normally, Bulma would have hid in her lab if that group of snobs was coming over, but she had to be there, on account of being Trunks's mother. Then Bulma and Trunks went over for supper at the Son's place. Bulma had a nice visit with Chi-Chi, while Goten and Trunks ran around together like the best friends they were. Gohan went from one group to the other, sometimes sharing funny stories about the adventures they'd had with the two mothers, sometimes pulling the kids apart when they got too rough.

Through all this, Vegeta had apparently vanished off the face of the Earth. Not that Bulma really had expected anything from him, but it would have been nice if he'd at least wished his son a happy birthday. Of course, he disliked her parents' friends even more than her, if that was possible, and he positively loathed going over to Chi-Chi's house. After Goku died, he'd been a bit less harsh towards them, but he was still far from willingly becoming friends with them.

Years ago, after the battle with Cell, Bulma and Vegeta had gotten married. But that was only because Bulma's mom wouldn't shut up about it. She had actually gone as far as to threaten to kick Vegeta out of the house if he didn't, which had embarrassed Bulma nearly to death. So Vegeta agreed, reluctantly, and Bulma managed to persuade her mother to not have a big wedding. Or any wedding, really. They had just signed a marriage document in front of a priest and a few witnesses. It was a far cry from the dream marriage Bulma had fantasized about as a little kid, but for some reason that didn't bother her at all. Her tastes had changed greatly since then, and she couldn't picture walking down the aisle in a wedding dress with Vegeta at the end. Plus, there was that whole "You may now kiss the bride" thing, and... well, let's just say they weren't quite there yet. Maybe they never would be. But Bulma didn't mind.

Although Bulma would never have admitted it to herself, she had missed him these past few days. Sometimes they'd talk about things, nothing important, just small talk. If they had an actual conversation it almost always turned into an argument. But afterwards Bulma never felt guilty or angry at him, in a weird way she kind of enjoyed them fighting. It kept her wits sharp. It was better than him completely ignoring her, like he had when he first starting staying here. Occasionally they would play chess or some other type of game, which was always fun. Vegeta clearly excelled at strategy, he forced her to fight without holding anything back.

Bulma knew not to say anything about their relationship to him, that would only set them back. She just quietly enjoyed his company. Vegeta wasn't good for much else. He wasn't reliable and he never showed any affection for her. But she thought that she could change that. Bulma had seen some difference in him since he first got here, maybe not a whole lot but he definitely was less cruel. He was still grumpy and arrogant, but Bulma didn't see anything really bad coming from him.

A waiter came up to their table with a plate of small sandwiches. He set it down in front of them, and Bulma thanked him.

"So, what's it like being eight?" she asked Trunks, who was already grabbing a sandwich. Bulma also took one and nibbled on it.

"Awesome!" he enthused, stuffing it into his mouth. For a little kid, he was really smart and fun to talk to. "Except I haven't seen dad yet," Bulma sighed. Trunks really looked up to Vegeta, who was surprisingly nice to him. Well, by his standards. He had more patience with his son than he did with most humans, but he didn't show him any love, just tolerance. Maybe basic respect on a good day.

"Yes, he doesn't like being around too many people. If I see him, I'll tell him to talk to you," Trunks stared past her shoulder, a smile growing on his face. Bulma turned to see what he was looking at, and saw that Vegeta had come and was walking towards them. So he did show up after all.

"Dad!" Trunks shouted, waving at him from his chair.

"Hey Vegeta," she said. He nodded at both of them and sped to the empty chair next to her. Instead of sitting down, he merely rested his forearms on the back, casually leaning forward. "What's up?" Bulma chose to ignore the fact that he'd not wished Trunks a happy birthday, or even seen him.

"Since Trunks has recently turned eight years old," he said, "I think that it's time he learned to fight. I'm going to start training him in the gravity room,"

"Oh, okay," she said. She turned to Trunks. "Do you want to learn martial arts?" his little face lit up.

"What?!" he asked as if he couldn't believe it, "Will you?" Bulma hadn't really told him anything about Vegeta's power, just that he was very strong. Vegeta had hardly done anything with their son since he had been born, just hung around enough for Trunks to know that he had a father in the first place. Bulma had ended up being the one to answer all of his questions about the Saiyan. That was okay, though. Bulma liked talking with her son and she knew that Vegeta didn't really feel comfortable being a parent. He was slowly easing into the role, however, and he had been the one to tell Trunks that he wasn't human. Vegeta had occasionally told Trunks stories about the planet Vegeta and its people. Bulma loved hearing about his race, and Vegeta didn't seem to mind her being there too, so whenever she could Bulma listened in.

Vegeta looked mildly surprised. Bulma smirked, thinking she knew what this was about.

"What is it?" she asked him casually.

"I was expecting you to disagree with me," he said. She tried to stifle her laughter. Yep, that was it.

"I don't argue with every single thing you say," she said. "Plus, no great threat to the world has showed up recently. That means that something's going to happen, and I think we need all the fighters we can get," she paused. "And you didn't exactly ask me. Do I have a choice?" he chuckled.

"No, I suppose not. Thank you for giving your permission, though," he said. "Come on Trunks, I'm going to take you to a room you haven't been in yet," Trunks beamed and Bulma smiled to herself. He was really looking forward to this.

"See you later, mom," he said, climbing off his chair. Trunks jumped up and down from excitement, ready to go. Bulma was pretty sure that he was already strong for his age.

"Have a nice time," she said, grinning at both of them.

"Bye!" Trunks replied. Vegeta, in the space of a second, put an arm around her shoulders and she felt the warm press of his lips to her forehead. Then he was walking out of the room, Trunks following him. At the doorway, Vegeta turned and looked at her. When he saw her shocked expression, he smirked. Then they both disappeared.

Bulma sat there, her heart pounding frantically. What was that? He hadn't touched her since That Night. Could it be...?

Then she remembered how he looked back to see her reaction. He was just testing her. He wanted to see how that had affected her. Bulma put a hand to her forehead in relief. That was close. If he'd actually meant that, along with him thanking her for letting him train Trunks, she would be questioning if it was really him. Bulma realized that she actually kind of _liked _him doing that to her. Not the kissing, well, that too, but the teasing. It was fun.

_Two can play at that game, _Bulma thought deviously to herself, already plotting how she could get him back.

OoO

After eating a few sandwiches, Bulma sneaked a generous tip under her cup for the waiter to find. Her father payed him and the chef a salary to live there and cook for them, but Bulma thought that they could use the extra money for all their hard work.

She leisurely stood up from her seat, grabbed the sandwich plate, and strolled out of the restaurant. It was nice to go at her own pace nowadays. Yes, she did tire sooner than her younger self, but she had also learned to take pleasure in going more slowly and noticing the little things, as opposed to thundering to her next activity and not paying attention to anything along the way. So, right away, she noticed the distant crash. Barely two seconds later, her pocket started beeping.

Bulma pulled out her small computer that kept tabs on all the registered machinery in the building. The beeping signalled that something was broken. She flicked through a few menus on the screen, and saw that the malfunctioning equipment was where the gravity room was. Bulma sighed in exasperation.

"What have they done," she muttered to herself, starting off towards the training room. Although she was a bit frustrated, she also felt amused. If anything, there should be an interesting story waiting for her. Unless Trunks had gotten hurt. Then there would be trouble and someone would end up on the bad end of her temper. Probably Vegeta.

And, speaking of the Saiyan Prince, Bulma ran into him as she rounded a corner. Well, she would have, but he jumped out of the way at the last second.

"Okay, where is he?" Bulma snapped, looking for her son. But Trunks wasn't with Vegeta. "Is- is he safe?" Bulma asked, she couldn't help being worried. But judging by the expression on Vegeta's face, Trunks was probably fine. Bulma was sure that even he would show some sort of emotion if Trunks was hurt. Vegeta just looked slightly annoyed.

"Oh, hello," he said, ignoring her question. "I was just looking for you," She crossed her arms and glared at him. He sighed. "Trunks is fine," Bulma immediately relaxed. "But the gravity machine isn't. You have to fix it, it's broken," he started walking back the way he came and Bulma followed him.

"What happened?" Bulma asked. Interestingly enough, Vegeta almost seemed faintly embarrassed. "Blushing suits you. You should do it more," he gave her a cold stare. Bulma giggled. "Okay, sorry about that. Sandwich?" she asked, holding out the plate as a peace offering. "They're really good," wordlessly, he snatched one.

"It wasn't I who did it," he told her between bites. "I was trying to assess his battle strength, and fine, I may have provoked him," Bulma rolled her eyes. Seeing her reaction, he jumped to his own defence. "I though that since the half-breed's chilevel rose whenever he was angry, it might be the same with Trunks," Bulma could see where this was going.

"And so, _he _broke the gravity simulator?" she asked, a bit disbelieving. Her little boy?

"Yes. The fool doesn't know how to control his power yet," Bulma frowned.

"Wait, were you putting any gravity on? He's just a kid, his skeleton can't handle it," Vegeta shook his head.

"No. At least, not yet. I just chose that room because of its sturdy walls," Bulma sighed in relief as they got to the door. It was partially open, so she nudged it the rest of the way with her foot. Trunks was sitting on the floor, looking gloomy. As she stepped inside, he eyed her nervously.

"Mom," he said, getting up, "I didn't mean to break the gravity thing, I just- and I'm really sorry and-" he stuttered, looking close to tears.

"It's fine, sweetie," Bulma said, ruffling his hair, "Just try to be a bit more careful next time, okay?" she leaned closer to him and whispered, "You know how much this room means to him," Vegeta jerked his head up.

"What are you babbling about?" he demanded. Bulma winked at Trunks, who smiled back knowingly. "Oh, nothing. I was just severely scolding Trunks. I'm sure that I've scared him into complete submission for the rest of his life," Trunks howled with laughter, and once again Bulma marvelled at how smart he was for his age. Nothing got past him. Vegeta crossed his arms and glanced in the other direction.

"Doesn't seem that way," he grumbled, which just made Trunks laugh harder. Bulma joined in his almost nonsensical but extremely contagious laughter. Vegeta huffed. "Just fix the blasted machine, woman!" Bulma, her cheeks a bit sore, wiped a tear from her eye.

"Yes, _your majesty_," she said sarcastically, but went over to the computer anyways. She examined it. The only thing that really seemed wrong was that the monitor was cracked, but when Bulma tried to type in any commands it was unresponsive. "Hmm," she mused to herself, absentmindedly pulling a capsule out of her pocket and activating it. A screwdriver appeared in her hands and she detached the screen, without looking at what she was doing. Fixing things had become a second nature to her, and she was able to do the minor things on auto-pilot. She peered at the jumble of multicoloured wires that were the inner workings of the computer, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "The wires themselves seem okay," she said aloud, "But they've gotten knocked out of alignment," she got another capsule and turned it into a pair of pliers. She also pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and used that to push some of the wires aside while she fiddled with the rest of them.

The lights flickered overhead and Bulma looked up in alarm, but that was all that happened. She realized how careful she'd have to be. After all, this room had the potential to go up to 300 Gs. Maybe Vegeta could handle it, but it would be more than enough to kill both her and Trunks.

Bulma noticed that Vegeta was leaning against a wall, arms still crossed, and Trunks was sitting on the floor, looking bored. She smiled to herself, struck by this simple tableau.

"What is it?" Vegeta muttered, seeing that she wasn't working. "Is there something wrong?" Bulma shook her head.

"No, it's just... well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that we sort of look like a family," Vegeta snorted.

"Ha! You may think that if you wish, but keep working. I haven't finished with Trunks yet," Bulma internally debated with herself over telling him, but her cautious side soon won out.

"Okay. But the wires I'm playing around with are hooked up to some _very _powerful gravity controls. If I move them even a centimetre the wrong way, it could activate the gravity. Can you make sure that if that happens, Trunks and I are out of the room?" Vegeta just shrugged carelessly, but Bulma knew that was his way of saying yes. She smirked. "Not that I'd make that mistake, of course, but it never hurts to be careful," and she went back to her work. Just when everything was in the right place, Trunks wandered over to her.

"Mom?" he asked, nudging her arm a centimetre the wrong way. "Can I have a sand-" the air around them thickened and Bulma's heart sank. Oh no. It was already getting hard to move.

"Vegeta-!" she cried out, and the words had barely passed her lips when she felt an arm wrap around her.

"On it," a voice whispered in her ear, and an instant later she was standing out in the hallway with Trunks, Vegeta was already going back into the room. Hoo-ee. He was _fast_. Trunks blinked, startled by the sudden change of scenery.

"What... what just happened?" he asked. Bulma pulled him close to her, her heart still pounding. That was close.

"I think dad just saved our lives," she said quietly. He pushed her away, an indignant look on his face.

"Aw, mom! I'm too old for this!" he said. Bulma smiled. Yes, he had never been one for hugs or cuddles. As soon as he could walk, he had started trying to do things on his own, trying to be independent.

Vegeta turned to them, looking tired.

"You can come back in," he said. "It only increased slightly. I estimate it's at two Gs. Three, max. Even your weak body should be able to handle it," Bulma sighed, not missing the fact that he used the word "body" singularly. So now, according to him, an eight year old was stronger than her.

A bit offended, Bulma walked back in the room. The gravity was stronger than what she was used to, but it was indeed manageable. She trudged to the computer again, feeling heavy, and picked up her pliers. She moved one wire back into place and the weight immediately eased up. She replaced the screen and turned to face the other two.

"Okay, I've fixed the internal damage so it'll work, at least," she explained, "But it's gonna need a new LCD screen. This one's too cracked to use. Until I can get another one, you'll just have to do without seeing the numbers. Any questions?" Trunks pointed at the plate of sandwiches.

"Now can I have one?" he asked innocently. Bulma laughed.

"Sure," she said. Turning to leave, she paused. "Oh, and Vegeta?" he looked up at her impatiently.

"What?" he snapped. She snuck her arm around his waist.

"Thanks for saving me," she whispered in his ear, her tone of voice abnormally low and seductive. "I knew I could count on you," she tried as hard as she could to reign in the side-splitting laughter as she felt his entire body tense up next to her. She stepped away from him and sauntered out the door, then looked back, needing to see his reaction.

He was frozen solid, staring at her with wide eyes, a shocked expression on his face. Unable to resist, she smiled and gave him a cheeky wink, before slipping away.

She had barely made it five paces before she was doubled over, her body wracked with thankfully silent laughter. His face!

"That- was- priceless!" she gasped. A warm feeling spread through her and seemed to reach to all the tips of her body. She wondered what it was. It reminded her of happiness, but more like a specific type. Even though she didn't know what it was, she liked it immensely and found herself craving more of it.

She ran back to her lab, grinning ear to ear. _So, _she thought to herself, _A different sort of happiness, eh? It's very addictive, it makes you feel good about yourself, and the physical symptoms include a fluttery stomach, different from the nervous kind, and an elevated mood. _She went into her lab, for some reason floods of ideas for inventions and new things to try out were rushing through her head. _Conclusion: I have yet to identify the cause, but it's probably related to Vegeta..._

**_And there you have it, chapter 1! Please leave a favourite or follow if you liked, reviews are always welcome (yes, even the negative ones...) and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! Next chapter should be up sometime next Tuesday! Until then..._**

**_~Lily_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_I got a nice, loooong chapter up for you guys today!_**

Chapter 2

"Mom! Hey mom, wake up!" Bulma rolled over in her bed, slowly coming to. She put a hand over her face to shield her eyes from the... *gasp* _natural light_ streaming in through the curtains.

"What is it?" she grumbled, squinting at the small boy bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of her.

"It's the day of the Tenka'ichi Budôkai!" he practically shouted in her face. Bulma yawned. Oh, right. Today was the Strongest Under the Heavens martial arts tournament. Trunks had been extremely hyper for the past few days, and he was wearing Bulma down. But she could deal with it. She was happy that he was looking forward to going so much.

She sat up in bed and stretched.

"Go get dressed and have something to eat. When you're done, find your dad and meet me in the transportation wing. Alright?" Trunks nodded gleefully.

"Okay!" he yelled and ran out of her room. Bulma hauled her sleepy body out of bed and got ready to take a shower.

"Good luck, kiddo," she murmured, "I'm sure you'll do great," He had spent almost all of the past few months training in the gravity room with Vegeta. Bulma ended up bringing them food because her conscience kept nagging her. Once or twice, she had managed to convince father and son alike to get out and go outside, if only so they could have fresh air. But she supposed it was worth it. She wanted her two boys to win.

...

Wait, since when was Vegeta one of her boys? Bulma couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that some sort of change was taking place.

She stood in the shower until all of the hot water ran out, pondering different theories. But it wasn't until Bulma was blow-drying her wet hair did she come across the most plausible one so far. They could be starting to mean something to each other. Bulma slipped on a short, dark red dress and tied a yellow scarf around her neck. She put on lipstick and a pair of tiny hoop earrings.

She craved being with him. It wasn't the same feeling as the one she had years ago, that explosive and controlling want, no, this was tamer. She liked his company, simple as that. And she knew Vegeta liked her at least a little bit. If he didn't, he would not have spent so much of his time with Bulma. Sure, it was a very small amount of time, but it was infinitely better than nothing.

Bulma didn't know where to go with this. If she asked Vegeta how he felt about her, he would either say something rude and very possibly  
insulting or just not bother to answer her at all. After some consideration, Bulma decided that it would be best if she pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and waited to see how things played out. She wouldn't get anywhere hounding Vegeta, yes, the best course of action would be to wait and see if he will come to her on his own. Because Bulma was sure that he was changing, albeit very slowly. He was becoming less cruel and heartless, and while he still was reserved and unwilling to talk about himself, he seemed to enjoy her company. Plus, he was becoming more and more of a father to Trunks, to Bulma's delight.

She was so deep in her own thoughts that she was completely on auto-pilot, and when Bulma decided to stop thinking about that subject she found herself at the door to the vehicles section of Capsule Corp, holding a fresh baked blueberry muffin with a melting pat of butter on top. Bulma smirked to herself. She was getting too mechanical for her own good.

Taking a bite of the muffin, she pushed open the door. Behind it was a hangar the size of a football field, the vast majority of the floor was painted to be a runway. The metal beamed ceiling was exactly fifty feet high and vehicles of all sorts lined the walls. At the far end of the room was a gigantic set of doors which could be lowered to make a ramp to allow the non-flying machines to leave the premises.

Today, there was nobody working in the room and the place had a hushed air to it. Bulma began the long walk to the plane section, each footstep reverberating around the room. Instead of being scared, Bulma was getting excited. The empty room seemed like it was waiting for something, and chills of anticipation traveled up and down Bulma's spine. She was looking forward to the Budôkai, she hadn't bothered to see the last few ones because none of her friends had been competing. Yes, with all of them here today, this should be one interesting tournament indeed… Goku was coming back for one day just to be in it, and Bulma was looking forward to seeing her oldest friend.

Far away on the other side of the hangar, a small door burst open. Trunks was in the door frame, Vegeta behind him.

"Ready to go?" Bulma called to them, her voice echoing grandly. She had found the right plane, one that could fit up to twenty people. She tossed its capsule to the ground in front of her and it exploded. When the smoke cleared, a full-sized plane was there.

It was basically a glorified flying bus, with two sets of tiny wheels on the bottom and a glass front. Capsule Corp. was painted on the blocky plane in several places, along with the number 576. Bulma had asked her father what the significance of the number was, but he had just vaguely muttered something about PR. So Bulma assumed that they were there because they looked cool and professional.

Trunks bounded up to the plane and climbed inside. He was wearing a baggy hoodie and black shorts that went down to his knees and he carried a duffel bag. Vegeta walked up to them, a sack slung over his shoulder. He had a simple long sleeved black shirt on, tucked into a pair of light beige slacks. Once again, Bulma marveled at how _normal _he looked when he wore human clothing. Vegeta stared at the plane skeptically.

"We're going in this bucket of bolts?" he said. "It doesn't look like it'll get off the ground, let alone be fast," Bulma crossed her arms.

"Well, Chi-Chi hates flying without a plane and this was the only model that can fit all of us. I already told everyone that I'd give them a ride, so if you have a problem you can just go alone," she smiled evilly. "Oh, wait, you don't know the way there, do you? Well, I guess you'll either have to suck it up and get in the plane or stay here and miss the tournament," Bulma spread her hands. "Your choice," Vegeta scowled at her, then got in the plane.

"Blasted woman," he muttered to himself.

"Hey! I heard that, monkey boy!" Bulma yelled after him.

"Wait, don't forget about us!" a voice called from the other end of the room. Bulma turned and saw Yamcha, Pu'ar and Oolong coming towards their plane.

"Hi guys," she called to them. "It's tournament day! Just hop on in and I'll start this baby up," they got into the large plane and Bulma climbed in after them.

Inside, there were three sets of padded benches for the passengers and up front with the controls were two chairs bolted to the floor, the one on the left for the pilot. Trunks was hogging a whole bench to himself, sprawled out on his stomach and reading a comic book. Yamcha and the two shape-shifters sat side by side on another one, and Vegeta was at the right-hand seat up front. Bulma settled in the pilot's chair and prepared for takeoff.

"Okay," she said, flicking a whole row of switches from off to on. There was a low rumble as the plane powered up and the frame shook slightly. "Next stop- the Kame House!" it had been decided ahead of time that the island would be their checkpoint to gather at. Bulma gripped the wheel and radioed that they were read to go. The mighty doors creaked open and the early morning sunlight streamed in through the growing gap between them.

They took off from the ground and blasted through the entrance. This plane may have been one of the older models, but it was still fast.

As Bulma flew them to the ocean, the trio sat in silence. Pu'ar, Yamcha and Oolong had all sat at the very back, and were talking quietly amongst themselves. Occasionally, Bulma would try to strike up a conversation with the two Saiyans, but Trunks was absorbed in his comics and Vegeta... well, he was Vegeta. So Bulma gave up.

A few minutes into the journey, one of the screens in front of Bulma flashed for a second. A message appeared on the monitor.

_Is the scarred one going to be competing in the tournament? _it read. Bulma glanced over at Vegeta, who wasn't looking at her. She entered in the co-ordinates for the Turtle Hermit's island to the computer and put the plane on autopilot. Then she typed a reply.

_What's it to you if he is?_ The clicking sounds of Vegeta typing came from Bulma's right. She smiled to herself. Secret conversations were fun.

_I doubt he would make it into the top five. What would be the point of entering if you don't have a chance of winning? _

_Sometimes, winning isn't the point, Vegeta. _Bulma typed away in Yamcha's defence. Of course, Yamcha wasn't entering this year but Vegeta didn't need to know that just yet. _Besides, Yamcha's our friend. _

"Hah!" Vegeta scoffed to himself, then started replying.

_Why compete if you do not think you can win? Absurd. And I was not aware that the weakling had become my "Friend". _Bulma frowned.

_Do you know that you're not supposed to use this typing system for trivial things? It's for when there's an emergency, so the pilot and co-pilot can talk to each other without frightening the passengers. _

_That makes little sense. And I see that you're trying to change the subject. _Bulma sighed.

_To answer your question, then, no. Yamcha is not going to be fighting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to fly. _She turned away from the screen and switched off the autopilot, then gripped the steering wheel. Though she didn't look in his direction, she could feel Vegeta smirking. Even though Yamcha was her ex, she was still friends with him and they shared too much history to just leave each other. She felt the need to defend him.

All of a sudden, the landscape vanished under them and was replaced by sparkling blue water, as far as the eye could see. Trunks ran to a window and pressed his nose against the glass, watching the sunlight reflected on the water flicker past them. He had always loved seeing the ocean from the skies.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Bulma remarked. Trunks nodded, spellbound.

"Yeah," he breathed. It was calming him down. Vegeta evidently noticed this as well.

"That's it... take deep breaths and still your mind. I know you're excited, but no son of mine is going to show nervousness in front of other people, _especially _Kakarrot's spawn," Trunks turned away from the window, determination written all over his face.

"I will!" he announced, then stared heatedly at a point on the horizon. His breaths became deeper and his shoulders relaxed.

"Hey, so what am I, chopped liver?" Bulma demanded. "I'm a person too!" Vegeta flushed in displeasure, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Yes, I know," he muttered, eyes fixed on his hands, "I simply meant that since you're his-"

"Hey, I was just kidding," Bulma reached over and rubbed his shoulder. "You should lighten up a bit, V," he glanced up at her in bewilderment. Aww, he was just so cute! Before he could say anything, Bulma looked back out the window.

"Oh, we're here!" she said. The small island that the Turtle Hermit lived on was indeed fast approaching them. Bulma smiled and started circling down to earth. Although she had little love for the old pervert, she had to admit that she had missed him a tiny bit. And, of course, the others as well.

The plane gently settled down onto the sandy beach. The moment they touched the ground, the door to the house opened and Kuririn raced out. Bulma had yet to get used to the fact that he had _hair _now, and it took a second for her brain to register that it was him.

"Ho!" Bulma yelled to him and opened the door, sliding out.

"Hi, guys!" he said. Kame Sen'nin hobbled out the door of his house, followed by the icy female-android-turned-good-guy, and an adorable little girl with wide eyes, pigtails and no nose clinging onto no. 18's pant leg. She was no. 18 and Kuririn's daughter, Bulma remembered that her name was Marron.

"Hey everyone," Bulma greeted with a smile. "It's been a while," no. 18 gave a curt nod and the young girl stared up at them.

"Yes, it has indeed," the Turtle Master said. "You look lovely as always, my dear Bulma," she put her hands on her hips in amazement. No crude comment about her body? Maybe he was actually starting to- "...Especially your boobs," he continued. Bulma heard a growl come from behind her. She stomped up to the old man, murder in her eyes.

"-Once! Just one, I would love to come within 100 feet of you without being harassed by your sick statements about me!" She kicked him in the shins as hard as she could. "You old perv!"

"It's not a sin to appreciate- stop it!" he protested, as he tried to dodge Bulma's onslaught. "Have you no respect for your elders?" he was saved when two strong and un-escapeable arms wrapped around her middle and she was lifted into the air. She struggled, still fuming.

"Let me go!" she raged to whomever it was. "I'm not finished with that old geezer!"

"Don't waste your energy on him," Vegeta's voice said softly in her ear. It sounded like he was trying not to laugh. "There's a boat coming towards the island, can you see it?" Even though she knew he was trying to distract her, Bulma looked anyway, and sure enough a dark speck had appeared on the horizon, coming towards them. "It's Kakarrot's family," How did he see that far? Bulma had never understood it.

"Can I come down now?" Bulma whispered. She was quickly set back on solid ground and Vegeta dropped down next to her. Bulma could feel everyone's eyes on her and she blushed. She had thrown a temper-tantrum like a little kid. Bulma had an urge to point at the Muten Rōshi and yell "You started it!", but she suppressed it.

"Now," Vegeta said, rather patronizingly Bulma thought, "Can I leave you alone and trust you not to assault senior citizens?"

"Oh, shut up," she said. Everyone laughed, then Kuririn noticed the boat and the attention was drawn away from her. Vegeta secretly gave her a smirk, which Bulma glowered at. She was _so _going to get him for this!

The speedboat roared close enough for Bulma to see Chi-Chi at the wheel and her father, Gyū-Maō, taking up almost all of the backseat with his huge, hulking frame. Son Goten was squeezed into what little space was left. The family waved at the group. They were still a distance off, a hundred feet or so. Goten leaned forward and said something to Chi-Chi, who frowned, but, after a few moments, nodded. Goten jumped out of the boat and shot through the air towards them. Seconds later, he arrived, missing the island entirely. He threw his foot out and skidded to a stop, his momentum almost pitching him headfirst into the ocean.

"Clumsy oaf," Vegeta sniffed. Trunks ran up to meet Goten, who was laughing.

"Whoops! Guess I haven't got the hang o' flyin' just yet," he said. Trunks knocked him upside the head.

"You big dummy! If this's all you got, I'll destroy you! I've been training so much, I bet I've left you in the dust!"

"Nah! I got excited, is all! I'm real, real strong!" Bulma smiled to herself at the two boys' playful banter. The contrast between their rivalry and Goku and Vegeta's was huge. Trunks and Goten were best friends who played together all the time, their desire to compete was probably mostly because of their age. And on the other side, Vegeta had a burning hatred of Goku that pushed him to train to the point of torture. He was so obsessed with surpassing Son that he had actually saved his life, wanting to be the one to kill Goku. That worried Bulma, but so far he hadn't gotten stronger than Goku and besides, you can't kill someone who's already dead.

By that time, Chi-Chi and the Ox King had pulled up to the beach. Chi-Chi jumped over the side of the boat and ran over to meet them, leaving her father behind to toss an anchor overboard.

"Hey, everyone!" she hugged Bulma. "Goten was lookin' forward to this tournament so much, I thought he was gonna explode when I told him he had to eat breakfast before we left," Bulma laughed.

"Same with Trunks. He's been as hyper as a hummingbird for weeks. I think Vegeta trained him in the gravity room just so he'd be too heavy to keep bouncing off the walls,"

"Mo-om," Trunks groaned, putting his hands over his face. "You don't have to tell her that,"

"Oh, you don't want me embarrassing you in front of Goten, right?" Goten flushed beet-red. "Okay then, Trunks was totally cool-headed this whole time. I don't think he's ever been so calm in his life," Bulma paused. "Seriously," she added for effect. Trunks buried his hands in his pockets and the two boys ran to the other side of the island, behind the Kame House. There were titters of laughter among the group.

"Where's Gohan?" Kuririn asked Chi-Chi.

"His costume was in the wash. He said he'd meet us here," Chi-Chi replied.

"There he comes," Vegeta pointed. And there was indeed a tiny dot far away in the sky. It grew with every passing moment, and soon Bulma could see Son Gohan, sitting cross-legged on Kinto'un, a happy smile on his face. He was suddenly right above the group, and Gohan jumped off his flying cloud, tumbling through the air. When he landed on the ground he stuck out one arm, kneeled, rested his other arm on his leg and wiggled his fingers. He was wearing the amazingly brilliant and stylish costume Bulma had made for him.

Gohan looked from side to side, as if making sure the coast was clear, then relaxed from his flamboyant pose, standing up and capsulating his outfit.

"Hi guys!" he said, with his usual enthusiasm. There were murmurs as the group said hello to the teenager. Yamcha looked around.

"Is that everybody?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Kuririn. "Except for Goku, of course. Anybody know when he's getting here?"

"Dad said to meet him there," Gohan volunteered.

"Then let's go!" Bulma said, excitement jolting through her as she strode to her plane, kicking up sand along the way. Everybody piled into the flying machine, and once everything had powered up they took off from the island. Bulma squinted at the bright sun shining through the glass window. There were whispers of anticipation rippling through the group, everyone was looking forward to the Budôkai.

After they had been flying for a while, Bulma started having irrational, last-minute doubts. She looked over her shoulder.

"Is Goku really coming?" she asked. It had been so many years since his death, Bulma was worried that she would start to forget him. Every once in a while, she conjured up a picture of his innocent, carefree grin, remembering how safe she had felt around him. Sure, Vegeta was her husband and all that, but he didn't exactly protect her with his life. Goku was like a superhero, defending anyone, thinking of others before himself. He was earth's champion, astonishingly strong, reliable, brave and caring. It almost seemed too good to be true, that he was coming back from the afterlife. If only for a day.

"Of course he is!" Gohan said, sounding defensive. He had total faith in his dad. So did Bulma, but her scientific mind had to consider all the possibilities.

"I can't wait!" the Muten Rōshi said. Bulma smiled. It seemed like centuries ago that Goku had trained under the Invincible Old Master, it had been, in fact, over ten years.

Gyū-Maō chuckled. "It's been ages since we saw him,"

"I bet dad won't recognize you," Gohan said, pointing at Kuririn's hair. The short man laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Probably not," he said. Gohan suddenly looked a bit nervous.

"By the way, Vegeta..." he hesitated. "And Goten and Trunks..." the two kids glanced up. Vegeta didn't do anything. "Could we go without being Super Saiyans for the tournament?" Vegeta looked over at that, surprised.

"Why should we?" Bulma saw where Gohan was coming from, and she answered his question.

"Think about it. You were on TV during the 'Cell Game.' They might recognize you. And if you turned Super Saiyan, they'd know instantly," Gohan looked grateful.

"Yeah, then the media would start hounding us..." he trailed off.

"... And we'd rip their heads off," Vegeta finished casually, not bothered by the thought. Bulma almost giggled at Gohan's stunned face. Didn't he realize that Vegeta wasn't being serious? Gohan obviously didn't know the Saiyan Prince at all.

"Well..." Gohan said faintly. "I don't know if that's a good idea," Vegeta turned to face forward again and stared out the window, an arrogant smile on his face.

"Fine. Whatever," he said indifferently. "If nobody's a Super Saiyan, we'll be on equal terms. I'll still have the upper hand," Idly, Bulma wondered if he ever lost confidence in himself.

"I'll agree to that," Trunks piped up. Goten smiled and nodded as well. Gohan looked relieved. Bulma could tell that he had been worried that Vegeta would disagree.

"Great. Thanks!" he said, leaning back in his seat. "That's way more fair. Going Super Saiyan is just like cheating!"

"Hmph," Vegeta muttered. "I don't see how. Becoming a Super Saiyan is something that we've earned through our own rage and suffering. Or at least," he lowered his voice and looked meaningfully at Trunks and Goten. "The two of us," Bulma huffed. She saw Vegeta's point, but the boys couldn't help the fact that they were incredibly powerful and talented for their age.

"Maybe," she said, "But everyone's already promised not to go Super Saiyan, so that's the end of that. And we should be there in fifteen minutes, max," The excited chatter started up again and Bulma tuned it out, focusing on flying the plane.

A large island appeared on the horizon, and once they had gone past the shores, Bulma saw the spires of South City way off in the distance, getting closer and closer. The sky held at least five other airplanes, all heading to the metropolis that hosted the triennial martial arts tournament.

And they were circling above the arena that held the games. Already, the complex was crowded with spectators, but there was a small area of concrete blocked off from the crowd for planes to land. Although, it wasn't very much. It would be a pretty tight squeeze.

Bulma tightened her grip on the wheel and exhaled, steering the plane towards the patch of clear ground. She aced the landing, getting the plane right in the center of space available. They had made it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," Bulma said, "We have arrived at the Budôkai arena in South City, you are now free to leave the plane,"

Everybody pushed to get out except for Bulma, who was stretching from the flight. Although she was awesome at flying, it stressed her out and got her legs all stiff, even if the time spent in the air was relatively short.

As she got up to leave, she noticed that Vegeta hadn't moved from his chair. He was staring at the ground, hands clenched into claws on the edge of his seat. He was as still as a statue, yet he looked like a cat ready to pounce, every muscle tensed. Vegeta's eyes were screwed shut, his mouth a thin line. He seemed about to snap at any moment.

"...Vegeta?" she asked hesitantly. "Is there something wrong? We're here..." For the first time in years, Bulma felt a bit afraid of him.

"Don't... talk to me..." he said through clenched teeth. "I'm fine, there's nothing you can do. Just... leave," Bulma stood up from her chair, but she didn't go.

"This is about Goku coming, isn't it?" No answer. "Come on, Vegeta. You can tell me..." He didn't do anything. Bulma tried to imagine what he was feeling.

She knew that he wanted to beat Goku more than anything. She had seen that. But, of course, Goku was Goku and he had left Vegeta in the dust, power wise. It was almost unthinkable, how that would have frustrated him. And Bulma knew how much Vegeta had prepared for this tournament. If Goku had worked any harder than Vegeta, well, Bulma would be shocked.

So then why was he here, instead of impatiently waiting at the doors for the Budôkai to start? He had utter confidence in himself, didn't he? Or... or was he afraid? Afraid that, even though he worked so hard, that it would all have been for nothing and Goku would still be leagues above him? Bulma seriously doubted that he thought that, but maybe just the possibility of failure was enough to... make him have to pull himself together?

Suddenly, tidal waves of affection and sympathy for the Saiyan crashed against Bulma's heart. She felt almost absurdly grateful to him for showing her this side of himself. Bulma knew that Vegeta's pride wouldn't allow him to do anything more. She also knew that he wouldn't appreciate the fact that she felt sorry for him. But she had to do _something_, had to help him somehow.

Slowly, slowly, she walked up to his petrified form. She leaned in close to him and, as lightly as Bulma could, put an arm around his tense shoulders, gently pressing herself against him, in a sort of half-hug, and resting her head on his shoulder. She was reminded of their teasing game, seeing who could get the biggest reaction out of the other. Except this time was different. This time, Bulma was deadly serious. This time she _meant _it.

"You don't have a thing to worry about," she said, staring out the window, "Stressing out about things will only make your concentration that much worse. And, whether you're stronger than Goku or not, I'll always-" she cut herself off, closing her eyes. Bulma's heart was about to register an 8.8 on the Richter scale, she was sure. "Let you stay at my house," That. Was. _Close_. For some obscene reason, Bulma had almost told him that she loved him. What had gotten into her? She needed to leave before she _really_ screwed things up.

Was it her imagination, or did Vegeta seem slightly more relaxed? Bulma realized that her arm was still around his shoulders. She recoiled away so fast she may as well have been spring-loaded. She had to pull herself together.

"For the last time, _come on! _I have to capsulate the plane," Bulma said, trying to go for exasperation and pretending that her knees weren't weak from the feeling of his warm body pressed closely against hers, the earthy smell of his skin that she hadn't even realized she had missed. "If you don't sign up, you won't get to compete," That seemed to snap him out of it. He stood up as well and went to grab his bag. But all the while, he was staring at her in that unnerving way of his, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Bulma tried not to shy away from his gaze, but frankly it was making her uncomfortable. Like he was staring into her soul, and he knew how she worked, knew her deepest secrets.

Like he knew what she had been about to say.

He was clever, perceptive and good at putting two and two together. Bulma wouldn't put it past him.

She looked away from him and left the plane before he could see anything that she didn't want him to. But she could still feel his eyes on her as she ran to catch up with the others, him close behind her.

It disturbed Bulma how much he affected her. He made her act differently around him, made her feel things that she'd never felt with anyone else. And she had thought that she had gotten over him, when things had just been getting worse. Now he could make her, the unflappable and stubborn Bulma, avert her eyes and cringe with but a single piercing look.

Oh well. Even if he saw into the depths of her soul, he had allowed her to do the same with him. An eye for an eye.

After she had reduced the plane to its capsule, Bulma almost lost her friends in the throng of people, but she managed to regroup with them. They were moving at a snail's pace, all of the bodies making it too hard to go any faster.

"What a crowd," Kuririn whistled as she caught up with them. The Budôkai was getting more and more popular.

"Yeah, what a pain," Bulma said, scanning the faces for the messy black hair and innocent smile of Son Goku. It would be nearly impossible to find him with all the people around.

"I wonder if Goku's here yet?" Yamcha said, blocking out the sun and also searching for their long-lost friend. A collective sigh spread through the crowd around them.

"What was that?" the Ox King asked. The crowd began to thin, as people all rushed in one direction. It was all Bulma could do to not get knocked to the ground. Cries of, "Hercule. It's Hercule!" came, and Bulma rolled her eyes. Great. That cheese ball was probably going to enter as well. She couldn't stand him.

"Hercule, huh?" Kuririn mused. "The hero who saved the world."

"He's so popular," said Bulma, sarcastically. "But why?"

Men in black suits cleared a path through the crowd for the self-proclaimed "Champion of Earth" to walk. He started giving some speech about his greatness, which Bulma tuned out. It was all just unnecessary noise to her, but at least there was room to breathe again.

"That guy hasn't changed," Yamcha chuckled to himself as Hercule ranted on and on about his superiority. Goten, not watching, noticed something.

"Gohan, it's Piccolo!" he cried excitedly. And indeed, the green Namekian had appeared on the empty stretch of ground that the fans had recently occupied. He was wearing his traditional loose black pants and long white cape, with that turban thing atop his green head to cover up his antennae. Piccolo had his arms crossed and was staring at the screaming crowd with a mixture of disgust and contempt on his face.

Gohan ran up to him, the others close behind.

"Piccolo!" he greeted. "Have you seen dad?"

"Not yet, I fear," In contrast to Gohan's happy shouts, Piccolo's calm reply made him almost seem to be whispering. "Are you truly competing like that, Gohan?" Bulma crossed her arms and huffed. How come nobody but Gohan understood her genius? Her sense of style? Didn't they realize that the outfit she had lovingly crafted for Goku's oldest was the epitome of cool?

Chi-Chi was looking around, her brow knitted in concern.

"What happened to Goku?" she asked everybody. "Maybe he went backstage already?"

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps pounding on pavement reached their ears. Everyone turned, and there was Goku, wearing his old gi and laughing at their expressions, a golden halo floating above his head.

"Hey guys!" he said.

_**As you may have noticed, due to the way things play out in the story, I've borrowed some dialogue from the manga. I hope this doesn't upset anyone. :P**_

_**Although I don't beg for reviews like a lot of the people here, I really do love them as well as favorites and follows. I feel like I haven't been saying that enough.**_

_**And, FYI, I know I sound really snobby, but the main reason I don't ask for reviews like they're my lifeblood is that I forget. So PLEASE! Review! I'd love it if you did.**_

_**~Lily**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hello!_**

_**Before I say anything else, I've been getting reviews about where the Bulma/Vegeta relationship should be at the time of the Boo saga, so I'll adress those.**_

_**In this story, they are emotionally in love, but they've been trying to ignore that. If it's not as cannon as you'd like it to be, then call it AU. Okay? I'm writing this for fun, so everybody should read it for fun, too. I really appreciate the reviews, however I have already written too much of the story to change it.**_

**_Since it was ridiculously long, I've split this chapter into two chapters. Don't worry, they're each still pretty big on their own, and to make up for it I'll post chapter four in half a week. So come back on Friday! It's also... well, I really can't see any way around it, so it's a re-telling of the Strongest Under the Heavens tournament. _****_I've tried to make things as interesting as I could, adding bonus bits and whatnot, so_** please keep the hating to a minimum... :P

**_And I just want to say that after these two chapters, it gets better! So if you can, please bear with me here! (Didn't a few of you say that you wanted longer chapters...?) Okay, think of it this way: Instead of reading a 5-part story, you get to read a 6-part story!  
_**

Chapter 3

"Goku!"

He stood next to the All-Seeing Crone, hands planted on his waist.

"Wow!" he said. "You've all changed so much. But how've you been?" Everybody froze as a period of shock settled in. Bulma felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared at her oldest friend in awe.

"Son..." she said quietly. Everybody else was having similar moments. Except for Vegeta, who had his arms crossed and was looking away, the very picture of indifference. But Bulma knew better. He may not care about Goku as a person, but he cared about his power, namely, that it was there so he could surpass it and laugh in Goku's face. For a second, she wondered if he ever stopped acting in front of people.

And then, someone shouted, "Goku!" again and the group burst into cries of delight as they mobbed him. Smiling as the friends reunited at last, the All-Seeing Crone drifted away on her crystal ball.

"Don't forget, twenty four hours," she reminded them from over her shoulder.

"Thanks!" Goku called after her. Everyone made their way to the registration booth. Goku clamped one muscular arm around Bulma's shoulders.

"Great to see you again, Bulma," she grinned back at him. Despite his great strength, the touch wasn't too rough. He knew how fragile she was. Relatively, relatively!

"You too. Lookin' forward to the Budôkai?" she asked, leaning into him for a few seconds then stepping away. Goku clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Are you _kidding_? The afterlife's about as boring as it gets! There's _nobody_ strong enough to really challenge me, and anybody who could put up a decent fight just wants to spend all their time meditating!" he sighed. "But yeah, I've been doing some training under Kaiô Sama. How's the family?"

"Really good. Trunks is totally pumped to enter here, Vegeta's been training him in the gravity room... Yamcha and the shapeshifters are doing fine..." maybe it was Goku's long absence, but Bulma was stunned by the difference between him and Vegeta. Goku was excited and ready to fight, but that was all. Vegeta was so much more... serious about this than him. And Bulma knew that Goku wasn't hiding anything, it was all just friendly competition to him. With Vegeta, it may as well be life and death.

They had reached the registration booth. The crowd had started up again, but it wasn't so bad now. Goku stared at Goten.

"Oh..." he said, realization dawning on his face. "You're my son! I _thought _you looked like me," Bulma laughed. It was just like him to notice that after a few minutes of walking beside him. Goten was the spitting image of Goku.

He peeked out from behind Chi-Chi's skirt, his eyes wide.

"Goten, honey, it's your dad!" Chi-Chi said to him.

"We must register, or the door will close," Piccolo told them, standing in front of the table.

Gohan entered, though with a few odd looks -seriously, what was _wrong _with everyone?!- and a bit of trouble with his name. Trunks stepped up next. The guy said something to him that Bulma didn't catch, and Trunks looked confused. Bulma stepped closer so she could hear their conversation.

"...Youth Division?" Trunks was saying.

"What else?" the guy replied. Trunks turned away.

"Hey Goten! Kids under fifteen don't compete with the grownups!" ... huh.

"What?!" Goten exclaimed.

"That's new," Bulma told them. When Goku and Kuririn had first entered, Kuririn was thirteen and Goku had been only twelve. And yet, both of them had easily gotten through the preliminary rounds. Trunks put his hands on the table, and leaned forward earnestly.

"I don't care! We want to fight the grownups," the man was angry.

"What? Absolutely not. Those are the rules, kid!" Trunks spun around, disappointed.

"Shoot!" he said.

"Aww man!" Goten complained. "I bet we would've been stronger than a lot of those guys, too!" Bulma patted Trunks on the shoulder.

"That's too bad, hon." She lowered her voice confidentially. "But you're probably going to win, 'cause you're a year older than Goten and it's not like anybody else'd stand a chance against you. Just make sure you don't mess those kids up, okay?" he looked up at her and nodded.

"Sure, mom. Promise you'll watch?" Bulma smiled at her son.

"I promise. Now off you go, go get ready for the battles," she gently pushed him towards a road with a man standing next to it, holding a sign saying "Contestants". He ran over and caught up with the fighters; Kuririn, Piccolo, No. 18, Goku, Gohan, Goten and Vegeta (who was already walking down the road).

"See you later," Gohan said to the rest of them, waving.

"Don't hurt yourself!" Bulma called.

Once they were gone, the normal people (or, the "Liabilities", as Vegeta called them. Bulma did not approve.) headed for the stands. The crowd was so loud you could hear them through the walls- and the games hadn't even _started _yet.

They rounded a corner, and were blinded by light. They had stepped onto the stands. Bulma scanned the massive, roaring crowd.

"I think I see a bunch of free seats right there!" she yelled over the din. The group of Pu'ar, Oolong, Yamcha, Gyū-Maō, Chi-Chi and Kame Sen'nin, who was guiding Marron by the hand, made their way over by shuffling sideways past the spectators. Bulma plopped herself down on a seat between Chi-Chi and Oolong.

"Are you guys excited, or what?" the Ox King bellowed in his deep voice from behind them. Everybody agreed.

The games were different from when Bulma had been there before, it was more like an arena. The stage was a lot bigger and there were these huge stands instead of it being standing room only.

A man in a black suit with blond hair and sunglasses, holding a microphone, ran out.

"Hey, it's the old announcer!" Oolong said. He looked exactly the same as before.

"The Tenka'ichi Budôkai is about to begin!" he shouted, his voice blasting through the speakers. "First, the Youth Division for kids fifteen and under!" Bulma cheered along with everyone else. She'd get to see Trunks fight! She was sure he'd win.

The announcer pumped his fist. "The youth winner will take home ten million Zeni, the runner-up five million!" Chi-Chi cheered extra loudly at that, and Bulma felt bad. Being the son of the heiress to the single richest corporation in the world, Trunks didn't especially need money. But Bulma knew that Chi-Chi didn't have much, and she could use the prize money. Bulma had offered to give some of her riches to Chi-Chi, enough so they didn't have to worry so much, but she had always refused. Bulma knew it was a matter of personal pride, but the money from the Budôkai would help them, because Goten would get runner-up.

"And the winner will also get an extra special treat- the chance to fight with a celebrity!" Bulma's eyes widened. Really? Who? "Specifically this man, the champion... the one and only.." the announcer paused dramatically as the audience held their breath.

"Hercule!" and the entire stadium roared. The group collectively sighed.

"For a second there," Oolong grumbled, "I was excited,"

Hercule appeared in the door to the stage, arms held high above his head, hands making the peace sign.

"Yeah!" he shouted triumphantly, and ran to the stairs leading to the stage, his shiny silver cape billowing out behind him. He jumped over the three stairs onto the stage, but as he landed his feet skidded out from under him and he fell on his back. Hercule's eyes bugged out and he curled into a ball, rolling sideways. He groaned in pain, clutching the back of his head.

"A-are you okay?" the announcer asked him. The entire stadium had gone silent. Bulma burst out laughing.

Half a second later, she hastily clapped her hands over her mouth as everyone in the section that she was in turned to her, giving her a dirty look.

"Sorry," she said. "I... uh... I was thinking of something else," she added lamely.

Hercule noticed the silent crowd and stood up.

"I was joking!" he declared. "Ha ha ha!" Everybody shouted, "Yeah!" and started cheering his name.

"Yeah, right," Yamcha said to the group. "I'll bet he's barely clinging on to consciousness," They all laughed.

"What a poser," Bulma muttered disdainfully.

"So Hercule, how are you feeling today?" the announcer asked, holding the mic out to the "Hero".

"Unfortunately for the people who'll fight me, I'm healthier than ever!" he grinned.

"Pff. Not like it'd matter," said Chi-Chi. "I bet Goten could take ten Hercules, no sweat,"

"You're set to go up against the winning kiddie, too," the announcer said. Hercule gasped theatrically.

"Uh-oh! I hope he goes easy on me!" the audience laughed, and he walked off the stage, bowing.

"Thank you, Hercule!" said the announcer. "He'll go back to wait in the wings while we get the Youth Division started!" Bulma noticed that Hercule took extra care when going down the stairs.

"As you know," continued the blond man, "There are no preliminaries for the youths. We have 35 great kids with us here today! The rules are the same as the adults: they lose if they give up, step out of bounds, go down for ten counts or get knocked out cold," he stepped off the stage.

"Here we go! First match is Bart, age 12, versus Pepperone, age 14!" Two kids climbed up and went to center stage. The first one, Bart, had curly blond hair and wide eyes. He was scrawny, wearing loose white pants and a sleeveless white shirt, with a matching dark blue belt and headband. He wasn't wearing shoes.

Pepperone had a shaved head and a mean face. He wore blue pants with a white belt, no shirt, and black shoes.

The two boys dropped into fighting stances, and the announcer shouted, "Begin!"

Pepperone lumbered over to Bart and threw a clumsy punch. Bart dodged, but threw himself off balance. Pepperone saw the opportunity and pushed the smaller boy to the ground. Bart, however, was quick and managed to scramble away before he could get... sat on?

Right away, Bulma could see that these kids were nothing special. They wouldn't stand a chance against Goku when he was their age, much less Trunks or Goten, who could both already turn Super Saiyan. Bart and Pepperone's movements were at the normal speed, completely lacking the lightning fast, deadly accuracy of Bulma's friends, who were light-years beyond the limits of humanity. She stopped paying attention to the fight, instead choosing to quietly chat with Chi-Chi, who had also lost interest.

Someone won, Bulma couldn't remember who, maybe Pepperone, and the next fight started, which Bulma also ignored. The only part she paid attention to was at the beginning, when the Budôkai host announced the names. She was waiting for either Trunks or Goten. Everybody from her group was doing the same- they knew who the _real _fighters were. And, at last-

"Match 9... Trunks, age 9, versus Laem, age 15!" the announcer declared. Instantly, Bulma snapped her attention back to the competition. There was her son, deadly serious, (ohh, just like Vegeta!) wearing a dark blue gi with his hands resting on a white belt, tied in a bow at the front. He was walking next to a much taller boy with blond hair in a mullet, no shirt, black pants, black shoes, and cloth wrapped around his wrists. He was sneering at Trunks.

"Ha... underestimating him, eh...?" Bulma mused to herself.

"Laem! Mommy's here!" a fat, blond-haired woman screeched from Bulma's left. She had ridiculous cat's eye glasses and earrings so large that they looked like two dragon balls dangling from her ears. A gaudy pearl necklace hung from her neck.

Bulma took an immediate dislike to the woman. Trunks had never called her "Mommy" before in his life, and referring to yourself in the third person was just plain obnoxious.

"Poor Laem!" the woman continued to herself. "He can't even cut loose against that baby," Bulma gasped. "I can't believe my camera broke," The woman sighed. "I won't have pictures of my boy destroying him," Bulma stared at her, livid. How dare she?

"Trunks!" Bulma yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Just mop up that jerk!" The woman noticed her, and peered at her scornfully through her stupid glasses.

"How crude," she said disapprovingly.

"_I'm _crude?" Bulma asked in disbelief. She would have gone on an angry rant, but the fight started and she had to watch Trunks beat this kid into a pulp.

Laem had his hands raised defensively and feet apart, but Trunks was just standing there with his hands at his sides. They seemed to be talking, but Bulma was too far away to hear what they were saying.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Trunks dropped to the ground and shot his right foot out, sweeping the boy's legs out from under him. In the half-second that Laem was falling, Trunks booted him off the ground with his _other _foot. The teenager flew about ten feet up in the air and landed, head-first, behind Trunks, who was staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened. Laem didn't get up.

The woman had the most delicious look of shock on her face, she was absolutely frozen. The announcer ran up and... and took the boy's _pulse_.

"H-he's out cold!" The man was obviously shaken, but he remained professional. "Trunks wins!" A collective gasp spread through the crowd, and there were murmurs of amazement.

The woman stood up and shrieked. "Laem! My baby!" And Bulma laughed. That hag hadn't expected that, had she? Oh yes, Vegeta had trained Trunks well.

The rest of the fights passed, none standing out, until it was Goten's turn. Apparently, he was fighting Ikose, age 14. Ikose looked like a shorter Laem, but with black hair. Son Goten was so much like Goku had been at that age, the only difference being the lack of the "Turtle" patch that he always used to wear, and Goten had long sleeves instead of short.

Goten looked around shyly at the crowd of people, and blushed a bit.

"Ikose, don't be like your brother and drop your guard!" the woman screamed.

"Go easy on 'im, Goten!" Chi-Chi yelled.

"Peh!" spat the woman. "Both of my lovely boys, forced to dirty their hands on these ill-bred urchins. Sickening!" Bulma looked over at the woman.

"Ha! I _thought _this punk looked like that last lame-butt!" Bulma said. "It's his brother!" Oh, this was just too good to be true. Maybe, once Goten beat this kid, their snotty mother would be knocked down a peg or two.

Goten, still looking a bit nervous, bowed politely to the brat, who didn't return the favour.

"Begin!" shouted the announcer, and Ikose took a fighting pose while Goten stood there, like Trunks had done. The kid drew his arm back and lunged forward to punch Goten.

The young half-Saiyan didn't flinch or move at all, but at the last second his hand flashed up and he easily blocked the kid's fist with his first finger, never looking away. Ikose pulled his arm back and sent a round-house kick flying at Goten. Again, at the last second he stopped it, this time with his forearm. The other kid was getting freaked out, but he shook it off and started hopping back and forth.

"Ho ho ho ho!" the woman jeered, "My boy's getting serious now!" What was she, blind?

"Haaah!" Ikose shouted, then launched a volley of punches at Goten, all of which he blocked, using both arms this time. After a few seconds of this, Goten simply punched him in the face. The kid fell over, and Goten bowed once again. The crowed oohed and ahhed as the announcer leaned over the child and declared him unconscious. "Goten wins!"

"Guess your babies were just that- babies!" Bulma taunted, laughing in triumph at the stunned woman.

Suddenly, the mother leaped out of her seat and jumped at Bulma, hollering.

"I'll shut you up!" she cried, her face purple with rage. Bulma didn't have time to do anything.

Right before the mad woman got her, Chi-Chi reached over and punched her, and she fell to the ground in a dead faint. Just like her sons.

"Now maybe we'll get some peace..." Chi-Chi said, while Bulma glanced at the collapsed woman, in awe of her friend.

"Oh, yeah!" she said, remembering something. "You know how to fight too, don't you?" Chi-Chi nodded vigorously.

"'Course! My daddy studied under Rōshi, and he taught me the basics,"

"You fought Goku at one point," Bulma said, recalling one of the earlier tournaments.

"Yeah! That was the day we got married... best fight of my life," she said, nostalgic tears in her eyes. They settled back to watch the rest of the fights.

Nothing really interesting happened. When it was time for Trunks or Goten to fight, they both effortlessly beat the unlucky kid, while barely moving. The real battle, Bulma knew, was when they would fight each other.

Finally, it was time.

"We've reached the Youth Division final match!" the announcer hollered. "Will Trunks or Son Goten stand alone at the end?" He stood between the two small children, in the middle of the stage. "Not only have they both easily overpowered their opponents- but it turns out that they're friends!" Everybody cheered, Bulma and Chi-Chi most of all, as he jumped off the stage, leaving the two young warriors to face each other. "Let the final match for the Tenka'ichi Budôkai Youth Division begin!"

Trunks and Goten both bowed, and for the first time took proper fighting postures. Trunks didn't look bored, and Goten didn't look like he was surprised that his opponent wasn't stronger- instead, they were excited and full of anticipation.

They paused, sizing each other up, and then they both simultaneously leaped forward, both punching. Their arms crashed together, and they stood there for an instant, pushing with all their might, then they each threw kicks and punches almost too fast for Bulma to see. They somersaulted apart through the air, flipping over and over, then launched themselves off the ground at each other, the force of the impact with their feet on the stone floor broke pieces off.

Trunks and Goten collided in midair and exploded into a flurry of blows. They were just a blur of dark blue and yellow, hovering twenty feet off the ground. Bulma's mouth dropped open. She knew they had been holding back, but this much? They were only seven and eight years old, for crying out loud! They could probably give Freeza a run for his money!

The kids broke apart and landed, about ten meters away from each other, both smiling. The audience was shocked into silence, but that didn't last long. When the applause finally came, it was deafening.

"GO, TRUNKS!" Bulma cheered.

"YEAH, GOTEN!" Chi-Chi screamed. Bulma heard shouts of amazement coming from the people around her.

"W-wow!"

"They're incredible!"

"How old are they? Eight and seven?" Bulma felt so proud of her son, a smile spread onto her face and she clasped her hands at her chest. He was dazzling. Goten too, of course.

They stood far apart from each other, seemingly talking, and then Trunks put his arms out and a blue light started to glow on his hands. He brought them together, and a thick beam of electricity shot from his fingertips and blasted towards Goten, who jumped over it. The ray of light kept going, and was about to hit the crowd when Trunks flipped his hands over his head and it sailed harmlessly over the stands.

Bulma looked over her shoulder.

"Hey, Turtle Hermit?" she asked the Muten Rōshi. "Was that a... chi blast?" She had seen these before, but she wasn't sure of the name, or what they were.

"Yep," he said, his eyes glued to the stage. "When a fighter is skilled enough, he can focus the energy that lays dormant in his body into a mystical projectile. Amazing that, at his age, Trunks can even _produce _one, much less control it after it's been released,"

"Huh," Bulma turned back, just in time to see Goten draw his arms back to one side in a gesture that she knew well. And when he spoke, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ka...me..." His eyes sparkled merrily, and Trunks smirked back, waiting for him.

"Ka...me..."

"Isn't it supposed to be Kame_ha_meha?" Chi-Chi whispered to Bulma, who shrugged.

"I think so," she replied.

"HAAAH!" When Goten thrust his hands forward, a blast escaped from them much like Trunks's, except it was green instead of blue. It rocketed toward Trunks, who easily sidestepped, hands planted on his waist.

Trunks was in front of the fancy building where the contestants came out of, so the blast was headed for there, after it narrowly missed the announcer, who managed to duck. Goten angled his hands to the left, but it still hit the side of the straw roof, breaking a large chunk off of it.

Bulma put her hand in front of her mouth to cover up her smile.

"Looks like _somebody's _not gonna have an allowance for a while!" she sang to Chi-Chi, who was turning beet-red.

"D'you think they'll charge us for it?" she asked faintly. Bulma patted her worried friend on the back.

"They probably won't. The more things like this happen, the more people want to come back. Plus, this isn't _nearly _as bad as that time Piccolo destroyed the entire stage. And even if you do have to pay for it, Goku and Gohan'll get in the top five, so you should be fine," Chi-Chi relaxed a little.

"You're right. Thanks, Bulma," They turned back to the fight just in time to see Trunks fling Goten out of bounds.

Or he would have, except Goten stopped himself in midair. He looked around for Trunks, who seemed to have disappeared. Bulma knew that he was probably going too fast for their eyes to see, and sure enough, he appeared behind Goten and grabbed him in a full nelson. Goten's mouth opened in shock and he immediately started to struggle, but it was no use. Gritting his teeth, Goten's little body shook as he tried to break free.

Just when Bulma thought he would say mercy, his expression turned deadly serious, a golden aura settled around him and his jet-black hair shifted to pale yellow, sticking up. Goten had gone Super Saiyan.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Bulma exclaimed. "He said he wouldn't!"

Goten easily escaped Trunks's hold, of course, and he flew back down to the stage.

"Hey!" Trunks yelled, dropping down in front of him. He glared at Goten and said a few things, which Bulma couldn't hear but she could guess at, judging by the apologetic expression on Goten's face.

Trunks smiled a cocky smile and spoke again.

"Argh, I wish I could hear what they're saying," Bulma told her friends. The people around them were still talking about Goten's change.

Trunks leaped at him and aimed a karate chop at Goten, who blocked it with his knee. Again, they launched into a fast sequence of attacks, except Trunks was only using his right hand. Bulma slapped her forehead in realization.

"That idiot! He thinks he can beat Goten with one hand!" Chi-Chi looked offended.

"Really? I know that Trunks is a year older than him, but he's not _that _much stronger..."

"He's too much like Vegeta for his own good," Bulma muttered. Goten's leg shot out and connected solidly with Trunks's cheek. He blocked the 7 year old's next blow, but then he got punched in the face. Bulma cringed. Trunks stumbled back and shot a chi blast at Goten, who jumped over it. He kept going and going and going, until he was just a dot silhouetted against the sky. Everyone waited, Trunks included, to see what Goten was planning.

"BANZAI!" he yelled, and flew head-first towards the ground, so fast that green energy surrounded him. He reminded Bulma of a comet; he even had the tail.

Trunks looked up at the rapidly approaching Goten and braced himself. Bulma could almost see the gears spinning in his mind. He wore an expression that she herself often used, whenever she was thinking hard.

Goten was going so fast that he had almost bridged the gap between them in a few seconds. However, even as he shot towards Trunks, Bulma's son didn't do anything.

But when Goten was literally two feet above him, Trunks ran out from under him. Goten screamed and put his hands out, trying to pull up. He got rid of most of the momentum, but still broke the floor a little. He ricocheted off the ground, straight at Trunks, who was caught off guard. Then _he _turned Super Saiyan, and flashed over Goten, throwing a ball of chi at the boy. It hit Goten in the back and he was hurtling towards the crowd. He grit his teeth and put his feet out in front of him. Bulma (who was on the edge of her seat) could almost hear the screeching sound. He ground to a halt, but just as he stopped, the tips of his toes brushed the wall of the stands. Goten's mouth opened in shock.

"Did he just...?" Oolong asked.

"He's out of bounds!" the announcer cried. "The winner of the Youth Division is Trunks!" Bulma stood up and cheered. He did it! He did it! Her mind was singing. She noticed that Chi-Chi was a bit disappointed, but clapping all the same. She liked Trunks, though not as much as Bulma did. Bulma herself was fond of Goten, and if he had won she would be happy for him. Because, unlike a certain someone, she could deal with losing once in a while. Well, okay, maybe not if Trunks had been beaten by someone like Ikose or Laem. But Trunks had won, and she was very happy for him.

_I bet Vegeta's rubbing Trunks's victory in Goku's face, _Bulma thought. _That is, if he even bothered to watch. _But she knew he would.

The announcer came back onstage.

"Now, to follow that seat-gripping action- a special attraction!" Bulma laughed to herself. Action, attraction. "The new winner of the Youth Division will battle the world champion... Hercule!"

"Hercule! Hercule!" screamed the crowd.

"I wonder what he's going to do," Bulma shouted to Chi-Chi over the roar. "There's no way he can beat Trunks!"

"Yeah!" she yelled back. "If he loses to an eight year old, his fans are _not _going to be happy,"

"Now, the one you've been waiting for!" the announcer grandly gestured to the contestants' building. "Heeere's Hercule!" The Great Warrior stepped up, raising his fists in the air.

"What little tot is foolish enough to challenge the champion of the world?" he asked boldly, running up the stairs. "Is it you?" he said, pointing at Trunks, the only person on the stage other than the announcer. "Well, get ready!" The crowd was going nuts. Trunks, sizing Hercule up, did not look impressed.

Hercule undid his cape and threw it off to the side, tossed away his champion's belt and tied a white strip of cloth around his waist.

He took a few deep breaths, then kicked and punched the air a few times. The crowd cheered, as if he'd just won a long and hard battle, as opposed to displaying some fabulously mediocre martial arts skills.

Trunks looked startled for a second, then started doing warm up stretches. He must've said something, because Hercule ran to him with a pained expression on his face. He looked really desparate, and he seemed to be pleading with Trunks.

"Oh my god," Chi-Chi said. "Hercule's actually _scared _of him,"

"Are you both ready?" the announcer prompted. "Let's get started!" Hercule fell to the ground, clutching his leg. "Uh-oh! What's wrong with Hercule?" The announcer ran over to him.

"What? You hurt your knee?" he said, then he held out the microphone.

"Y-yeah, I, uh, kept it a secret!" said Hercule. "It's too bad! I really wanted to fight," But after talking privately to the announcer, he stood up again.

"He's okay! Hercule's still fighting!" The crowd applauded his great bravery. "Here we-"

"Time out!" Hercule shouted to the announcer. He put his arm around Trunks and spoke to him.

"How long is this going to go on?" Bulma groaned. "Just fight him already, you big sissy!" And finally, he went back to his spot.

"Here we go!" the announcer said at last. "Trunks, Youth Division champion versus the Great Hercule! Begin!" Hercule leaned down next to Trunks, smiled a big, fake smile, and pointed at his face.

"What's this?" the announcer asked. "Hercule's sticking his face out to let Trunks punch him!" Trunks frowned in concentration, and carefully knocked Hercule all the way across the staduim, where he slammed into the stone wall. After a few seconds, he got up and Trunks was announced to be the victor. But the crowd was cheering for Hercule, everyone was talking about how nice he was to let a little kid win.

"Of course he did!" Bulme told Oolong indignantly, "That was his only option!"

"There'll be a thirty-minute break before the adult division," the announcer told them, "The best is yet to come- starting at 1:40 PM!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay, as promised, (or, earlier threatened, if you wish) here's the newborn chapter four. See you in chapter five.**_

"They just keep getting better and better!" Yamcha said.

"And that was only the kids," the Ox King said.

"Speaking of which, where are they?" Bulma wondered.

"Oh, they can take care of themselves," said Yamcha. "Let's just enjoy the tounament,"

"Fine. Who wants some food?" Bulma asked. "I saw a guy selling sandwiches and things. My treat?" The others thanked her and gave their orders, and she made her way though the crowd to buy lunch. Not long after she was back, and the burgers, sandwiches and drinks were all passed out, the intermission finished. They had stolen the seats of some people who hadn't gotten back yet, so they were closer to the stage than before.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!" the announcer yelled, running back onstage. "It's time to choose the Strongest Under the Heavens!" The crowd went wild. "Here are the sixteen competitors who have survived the preliminaries!" Two men rolled out a board with a chart on it, saying who was fighting whom. "I'll read it out loud for those too far away to see," the announcer said. Bulma paid him no notice, having already found out what she wanted to.

"Goku versus Vegeta in the first round?" Yamcha said in surprise. "This is going to get intense quick!" Yes, it will indeed. Bulma was a bit worried about Vegeta. After Cell had been beaten, he had shut himself away from everybody. The scary thing was, he didn't use the gravity room to train at all. He just sat in the bedroom that he stayed in, staring at the wall. Sometimes he would leave the house, and reappear days later without saying anything. To Bulma's relief, he had gone back to normal soon enough. He couldn't be away from training for long; he was a true warrior at heart.

The first match was Kuririn against this colossally huge man- Punta was his name. Kuririn only came up to the guy's waist. Punta kept bragging about how he was going to crush him- a classic underestimation that Bulma had learned early on: just because he's small, doesn't mean that he can't kick your butt easily. Which was exactly what Kuririn did. He won, Trunks-style, beating Punta effortlessly, with one hand in the pocket of his sweatpants and a bored expression on his face.

"On to match two! Shin versus Demon Jr.!" Piccolo and an odd short man walked to the stage. This "Shin" had pointy ears like the Namekian, a large white mohawk and unfamiliar robes. The only biographical info the announcer gave was that it was his first time in the tounament. Piccolo looked strangely shaken.

"You'll find out!" Shin said, in an almost ethereal voice, "Let's just enjoy the game for now!"

"Huh?" Bulma turned to her friends. "Am I missing something?"

"I didn't hear Piccolo say anything," the Turtle Hermit replied, "But there is something very weird going on with this guy,"

"What's up with Piccolo?" Chi-Chi asked. He had blanched at Shin's words, and was now just standing there.

"...Forgive me," he said evenly, despite his anxious appearance, "But I must forfeit," And he walked off the stage, brushing away the announcer's questions. The man had no choice but to declare the mysterious Shin the winner.

As the short man walked off, the announcer said the next match was Videl against Spopovich, neither of whom Bulma recognized by name.

"Welcome Videl, daughter of the famous Hercule, champion of justice, captor of criminals, and winner of the Youth Division at our last tournament!"

"Hercule has a _daughter_?" Bulma asked in amazement.

"Shh!" Oolong shushed her. She missed Spopovich's bio.

Videl was a young girl, maybe Gohan's age, with short dark hair. She had a black t-shirt and black skintight shorts on with an oversized yellow tank-top. The crowd was cheering her name in such a way that proved Videl was related to Hercule.

Spopovich was an overly muscled bald guy. He wore a black leotard that only had a strap on one shoulder. Veins were pulsating all over his body, and he was glaring like everyone in the stadium had badly wronged him. There was a black symbol tattooed on his forehead that looked like a stylized "M". Also, he didn't appear to have eyebrows.

"What a creep," Bulma muttered, a shiver travelling up her spine. There was something... off... about him.

"Hey, that's that girl who was coming over to our place every day," Chi-Chi exclaimed.

"Who, Videl? Why?" Bulma was curious.

"Gohan was teachin' her to fly. So that's why she was so rich! Her dad's the most famous man in the world!"

The match had begun. Bulma leaned forwards, interested despite her not knowing either of them. And, once it was over, she wished she hadn't seen it.

At first, it looked like Videl had Spopovich easily beaten. All of her attacks hit and sent him flying. But he just got up again and came back at her. She had ramped it up, launching a quick combo of blows that toppled him, but he climbed to his feet and grinned like it was nothing, despite the blood pouring down his chin. Videl was obviously losing stamina from her relentless offence, and he back-handed her across the stage. She had barely jumped to her feet when he kicked her, this time sending her out of bounds. But she stopped herself in midair before she hit the ground, and flew back to face him.

Videl was panting heavily and her lower lip was bleeding, but there was a fiery look of determination in her eyes and she leaped at him, aiming a kick. Her foot connected solidly with his head, and he stumbled back slightly.

Bulma got one good look at Spopovich's surprised face, and almost screamed. His back was turned to her. Videl's kick had twisted his neck eighty degrees around. Bulma buried her face in her hands and tried to ignore the horrible image of his obviously broken neck that was burned onto the back of her eyelids.

"He- he turned his head back to normal!" Oolong's shocked voice said next to her. Bulma peeked out from between her fingers. His head was, indeed, back the way it should be. Still smiling, Spopovich punched Videl right in the face, making her stumble back. Even with her hand covering her nose and mouth, Bulma could still see the blood dripping out from between her fingers.

And now it was Spopovich who was constantly putting Videl on the defensive. But since she had lost so much steam, and was already injured, she didn't put up much of a fight.

But he didn't stop.

It took his companion, Yamu? telling him to lay off for Spopovich to finally drag the helpless Videl to the edge of the stage and dump her out of bounds. Yamu looked eerily like Spopovich, though not quite as beefy. But everything else was spot on: the bald head, the veins, the angry expression... the inexplicable "M" on the forehead.

The moment Spopovich was declared the winner, Gohan raced out from the wings and picked Videl up, cradling her with one arm under her knees and the other supporting her head. Bulma noticed that he wasn't wearing his head covering.

"Spopovich," Gohan turned to the cruel brawler. "You'll _pay _for this! Do you hear me?" He only sneered, and the two of them jumped over the wall to the contestants' building. Gohan ran Videl back as well.

"Oh... I hope she'll be okay," Bulma fretted. "That was sick," Chi-Chi, looking a little pale herself, nodded her agreement.

"Wasn't there something strange about that guy?" Yamcha asked.

"Yeah, he made me kind of nervous for some reason..." Bulma agreed. After a few minutes of sitting in tense silence, a Budôkai worker came back on and spoke to the announcer.

"An update- Videl's injuries are not considered serious!" the man said. Bulma exhaled in relief. "Now, let's move to the fourth match. Kibito versus the Great-" Gohan ran back on before the announcer could finish. They spoke for a few moments, then the half-Saiyan dashed off.

"Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but the next fight will be delayed for a few minutes, shouldn't be very long," Gohan's opponent, Kibito, stepped out and waited next to the announcer.

For some reason, he was dressed in the same livery as Shin. He also had long, loose white hair and pointy ears. His expression reminded Bulma of Piccolo's: serious and focused. He seemed a bit on edge, also like the Namekian.

Finally, Gohan sped up to them and they stepped onto the stage.

"Okay, let's get this started! Kibito versus the Great Saiyaman!" the announcer declared. As the two competitors walked to center stage, a group of people shouted Gohan's name.

"Do they know him?" Bulma asked. It was a bunch of teenagers, and she was pretty sure that they had been doing most of the cheering for Videl.

"I think they go to high school with him," Chi-Chi said. Bulma frowned. They had obviously seen through her disguise.

"Shoot! The whole point of that costume was so they wouldn't know who he was," she crossed her arms, unhappy that her idea had failed. Gohan noticed his friends and cringed. Then, with a sigh of defeat, he took off his black sunglasses and tossed them aside. Gohan gave his classmates a little wave of acknowledgement and grinned.

"You look better without the shades!" they encouraged him. Bulma pouted. It had, after all, been her idea that he wear them.

"Let the match begin!" Gohan crouched forward, waiting for Kibito to make the first move. The strange man spoke and Gohan looked surprised.

"Hey... did anyone hear what that guy just said?" Bulma asked.

"I- I think he just told Gohan to turn Super Saiyan," Yamcha stuttered. Bulma gasped.

"Really?! How can he know about that?"

"Yes, quite the enigma indeed," the Turtle Hermit said slowly. "Shin and Kibito. Spopovich and Yamu. All very puzzling," Gohan didn't fufil Kibito's request, he just stood there.

"Gohan!" Piccolo shouted from the entrance to the building. Bulma saw him nod. So he wanted Gohan to go Super Saiyan. But why?

Gohan was still torn. The audience had had enough, and were starting to get restless. Even the announcer reminded them that they were supposed to be fighting.

Gohan glared in concentration, and clenched his hands into fists. Golden flames flickered around him. His hair was still black, though, and the spectators didn't seem to notice any change.

"C'mon, fools!"

"How long are you going to stand there?"

"Quit wasting out time!" They started booing them.

"Will you shut up?!" Chi-Chi hollered at the people closest to them. "You're about to see something amazing! Dolts!" Bulma grinned sheepishly at her bold friend.

"Hyah!" Gohan yelled, and energy exploded from inside him. His yellow aura flared up and blew away the nearby shards of rock from the previous battles. Gohan's hair shifted to gold and it pointed to the sky. He looked at Kibito as white sparks of electricity danced around him.

"Well? Come at me!" he said impatiently. But it was Kibito's turn to be surprised, and he didn't move.

Spopovich and Yamu, carrying a large, stone teapot thing with that black M printed on it, jumped over the wall straight at Gohan, who's back was turned to them. He sensed them coming, and spun around to face them, fists raised.

"Who are you?" he shouted. Gohan started to dodge them, but for some reason he froze. It was like something was physically stopping him from moving. Spopovich wrapped his thick arms around Gohan's neck, holding him still.

"Why won't he move?" Bulma said, knowing that something had gone very, very wrong.

Yamu took the tip of the instrument, which was a lot more like a magic lamp than a teapot, and _stuck _it into Gohan's side, just below his ribcage.

Chi-Chi screamed.

"What?!" Bulma jumped to her feet, though there was nothing that she could do.

"We'll kill anyone who tries to stop us, got it?" Spopovich growled. Bulma pressed her white knuckles to her lips as Gohan cried out in pain. It looked like the device was sucking out his life force. His Super Saiyan aura grew weak, his hair faded back to black, and Gohan was in his normal form again. His eyes were half-closed and his face was shiny with sweat. Spopovich laughed and released him, then he and Yamu took off from the ground and flew away. Without anyone to hold him up, Gohan had toppled to the ground and he still lay there, not getting up. Bulma saw that he was alive, though, so at least that was something. She barely noticed Shin fly after the two fleeing men. She was more worried about Chi-Chi.

"My baby..." she whimpered, eyes wide. Bulma gathered the distraught mother into her arms and rocked her back and forth. Though she was so disturbed herself that it felt more like she was clinging to Chi-Chi.

"It's okay... Gohan's alive. He is! See, he's breathing," Chi-Chi said nothing. Bulma saw Piccolo, Kuririn, Goku and Vegeta standing in the entrance to the stone building. She pointed at them. "Look! There's Goku. If Gohan wasn't going to be okay, don't you think he would be angry?" And indeed, Goku's expression was far from angry, he actually looked excited.

"Sniff... you're right," Chi-Chi said. "But I really wish someone would bother telling us what's going on,"

Videl ran out to Gohan, miraculously healed. Bulma bet she had found out the meaning of the word "senzu".

Piccolo jumped into the air and flew after Shin, and Goku joined Kibito and Videl. He spoke with Kibito for a few moments, then gave him a grateful smile. Goku, too, flew away from the stadium in the same direction as Piccolo.

Vegeta, still standing in the cover of the building, hesitated, giving Goku's rapidly vanishing back the world's most loathing glare, but then he took off after Goku. Kuririn was nowhere to be found.

Two workers ran up to Gohan's prone form with a stretcher, but Kibito kneeled over him and put a hand on Gohan's chest. Orange energy surrounded the two of them, and after about ten seconds Kibito backed away. Gohan got up, looking shaky but uninjured.

"He's all better," Chi-Chi said in relief. "Thank god," Kibito glanced over his shoulder at Gohan, then flew into the air after the others.

The entire crowd was buzzing with questions, and no wonder. This was decidedly unusual.

Gohan spoke to Videl, and then they, too, sailed away from the arena.

"What's going on?" Bulma asked, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight and watching them go. "They all left!"

"I don't like this..." Chi-Chi said nervously.

"Something must be up," Yamcha added suspiciously.

"So what do we do?" Bulma asked. Yamcha gave her a tired look.

"What can we do, Bulma? Just sit here and hope that the _real _fighters take care of things," Bulma stared at her feet.

"Yeah, it really sucks that we get left behind all the time," She looked at Yamcha. "But that doesn't mean that we should complain about it,"

The announcer had been in heated discussion with a few of the Budôkai workers, and he now went back to the stage, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Um... as you may have noticed, several of our competitors have left," he said. "This is an unprecedented situation, and frankly, we have no idea how to proceed," Bulma noticed Kame Sen'nin wasn't paying attention, instead he was staring off into the distance.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Feels like something's up," he said, his voice tense. "A cluster of huge chi, far away..."

"Well, that's not ominous at all," Bulma joked nervously. "Just tell us if it moves any closer,"

Hercule walked onto the grass and adressed the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed, raising his fist in the air. "Fear not! The tournament is not ruined. After all, didn't you come to see me?"

"Um, no," Chi-Chi muttered. The announcer walked over to Hercule, who seemed to have an idea. "Who's even left by now?"

"Well, there's the three people that we don't know," Bulma said, keeping track in her head. "And there's no. 18. I don't think she left with the others,"

"I wonder what they're gonna do," said Oolong.

"Oh, he's coming back," said Yamcha.

"Everyone, thanks for your patience! Hercule has proposed a battle royal among the five remaining contestants." Interesting. "They'll all fight at the same time, and the one left standing will be declared the champion,"

"So, no. 18'll win, right?" Bulma asked. "She was stronger than Vegeta when he first became a Super Saiyan,"

"Yeah, she probably will," Yamcha agreed. "Although, you never know. One of the other guys could turn out to be really good,"

"Now, let's meet the competitors in this quintuple melee! Of course you know the defending champion, Hercule." The man in question jumped onto the stage, this time _not _falling on his butt.

There was no. 18, Mighty Mask, who had a long torso but stumpy little arms and a mask that covered his entire head, ending in a point. There was Killa, a muscular, dark-skinned man with cloth wrapped around his forearms and white shorts, and Jewel, a long-haired, blond pretty-boy. Bulma couldn't help notice that a lot of the girls were cheering for him, and he blew them kisses.

_Huh. He's exactly the kind of boy I would be swooning over in my younger days, _Bulma thought.

All the fighters gathered in a medium-sized circle in the middle of the stage.

"This is a no time limit battle!" the announcer declared. "Now, let's get it started!" Bulma figured worrying about the others wouldn't do them any good, so she tried to pay attention to the match. What else was there to do? "Begin!"

Jewel leaped at no.18, who wasn't looking at him. Even so, she stuck out her leg and easily kicked him across the stage, not even bothering to uncross her arms. On the other end, Mighty Mask punched Killa and sent him flying. Both men fell out of bounds, and therefore lost, leaving Hercule standing in between the two remaining contestants.

"Amazing!" the announcer cried. "Jewel and Killa are already eliminated!" Hercule grinned.

"Come at me! I'll take you both on," he bragged, punching the air. He obviously thought the two remaining contestants won by a fluke. Neither Mighty Mask nor no. 18 paid him any notice, instead they were focused on each other. Hercule was a bit surprised at their denial of his very existence, but he quickly shook it off. He raised a hand about his head and held up two fingers.

"Hercule has predicted victory!" The crowd cheered. Bulma was really getting sick of them praising his every gesture, but oh well.

"All right, first I'm going to take you down!" Hercule declared, pointing at Mighty Mask. "Sorry, but there's no room for softies in this world. Here I go!" And with that, he somersaulted across the stage at Mighty Mask. "Rolling attack!" Mighty Mask completely ignored him, and jumped at no. 18. They began a fast-paced series of punches. Meanwhile, Hercule launched himself at the spot where his target had _used _to be, not noticing that he was gone. "Hercule punch!" he shouted, and made a perfectly executed attack to the empty air. He finally saw no. 18 and Mighty Mask fighting each other, and for a second Bulma actually felt sorry for him.

Mighty Mask seemed to be struggling to keep up with the cyborg, so he took to the air, no. 18 close behind. Who was that guy?

"They can fly!" the announcer shouted. "They're both up in the air! What an amazing battle this is!" No. 18 jumped over Mighty Mask and clasped her hands together, bringing them down on the back of his head. Mighty Mask shot towards the earth, hitting the ground with a sickening _wham_. He kept going, until he had vanished in a deep hole.

"Is- is he still alive?" Bulma asked Yamcha. He frowned.

"He should be," he whispered back to her. "If he can fly, a fall like that shouldn't be too bad," And, sure enough, Mighty Mask hopped out of the hole like it had been nothing.

No. 18, still high above the stadium, calmly launched a white ball of chi at him. He jumped out of the way just in time, and joined her in the air.

They floated for a few seconds, then Mighty Mask stuck his hands out at his sides and began charging up a chi blast of his own. He brought his hands together and sent a ball of blue light barrelling towards no. 18. She dodged, missing it by a foot at the most, and it soared out of view.

Seconds later, there was an incredibly loud and deep _boom, _as the blast hit the ocean. A splash so big it could be seen from their low seats came into view. Bulma blinked. How powerful was this guy?

Mighty Mask was already starting another one. But no. 18 sent a spinning disc of chi at him, which... cut him in half.

"Mighty Mask has been ripped in two!" the announcer cried. But the two severed halves weren't falling to the ground. And there was a pair of legs sticking out of the body. And a head with spiky blond hair was peeking out of the legs.

... Those two!

"So _that's _where they went!" Chi-Chi exclaimed.

"Just like I figured," Kame chuckled to himself. Trunks and Goten flew off, and Bulma could just picture their horrified, "we're so busted" expressions.

"No teams allowed! You're disqualified!" the announcer shouted after them. No. 18 landed, relieved that the real threat had been taken care of. "Now it's just no. 18 and Hercule," said the announcer. "The winner will be the new champion!" Bulma noted that there were almost as many people yelling "18" as there were Hercule fans.

"Lucky you!" Chi-Chi patted Marron on the head. "Your mom's going to be rich,"

"It's all ours!" the Turtle Hermit said gleefully. Bulma rolled her eyes. He'll never have to worry about not having enough money to go to the hostess club again.

"This is no laughing matter!" scolded Yamcha. "We don't know what's happening to the others,"

"But you have to admit," said Bulma, pointing, "That is pretty funny," Hercule was visibly shaking, while no. 18 watched him. She casually took a fighting stance, and smirked when he cringed.

Quicker than lightning, she ran at him and clamped her arms around his neck. Hercule almost fainted.

"Please don't kill me! I'll do anything!" he squealed. Bulma pictured a stadium's worth of Hercule fans trying to ignore their hero begging for mercy.

"No. 18 has a head-lock on Hercule!" the announcer said. "Hercule has been immobilized! He may have met his match!" The two didn't move, and Bulma could see no. 18 whispering in his ear. Then-

"Waah!" no. 18 went flying away from him, almost over the edge of the stage.

"Hercule knocked away no. 18!"

"But... but he didn't do anything..." Bulma said softly in confusion. Hercule himself looked surprised- then he chuckled and treated them to some more of his world-famous air punches.

"Ha ha ha!" he laughed at the angry no. 18. "I've seen through your techniques! Too bad for you.

"You're pretty good," he continued, "But you came up against the wrong man! This is still the age of Hercule!" etcetera, etcetera. "This is your finish!"

He jumped at her, drawing back his fist. "Hercule Miracle Special Ultra Super Megaton punch!" he yelled. The attack got no. 18 right in the face, but she didn't even flinch. She looked unimpressed.

Then, she screamed again and fell backwards off the stage. The confused crowd didn't know how to react.

"Ha! She's faking it," Bulma laughed. "I wonder what she extorted him into doing,"

"D- did you see that?!" Hercule shouted to the bewildered audience. "Um, first it looks as if nothing happened, but a couple of seconds later, this punch deals an explosive blow! This is the Hercule Miracle... um, Beautiful Super Awesome punch!" he finished.

"Hercule wins!" the announcer declared, and, believe it or not, the crowd uttered their loudest cheer of the day, leaving Bulma's ears ringing.

"I'm number one!" Hercule roared.

"No. 18 showed astonishing prowess, but she was no match for Hercule. He defends his title!" No. 18 stalked away, but not before telling something to Hercule that, whatever it was, sure made him pause in his triumphant celebrations for a few moments.

"Shall we get going?" Gyū-Maō asked, standing up and stretching.

"The others still haven't come back," Chi-Chi worried. "They darn well better not be messing around,"

"Why don't we go up to the top of the stands so we can get a better view if anyone comes," Bulma suggested. Everyone agreed, and they made their way to the top floor, which didn't have any seats. Bulma gripped the metal railing and looked for any approaching specks in the skies, but there wasn't any sign of their friends.

Soon after they got there, no. 18 smoothly vaulted over the railing and joined them.

"Good job at the tournament," Bulma told her. "But I was wondering- what did you ask Hercule to do in return for letting him win?" No. 18 smiled.

"Oh, not much... just twenty million zeni,"

"_T__wenty million zeni?!"_ everyone exclaimed.

"Wow... you're set for life!" said Bulma. She didn't particularly approve of the android's methods, but she had to respect her cunning intelligence for getting what she wanted.

"Hey... is that someone over there?" Yamcha asked, looking off into the distance. There was a tiny dot, slowly approaching them.

"Who is it?" Chi-Chi asked. Yamcha paused.

"... I don't know." It got a little bigger. "It's... Videl!" Bulma's heart sank. Where was everyone else? She prayed that it wasn't bad news.

Eventually, the young girl arrived. They waved to signal her over, and she landed next to them, panting. The second her feet touched the ground, Bulma and Chi-Chi were upon her.

"Where's Gohan?" Chi-Chi demanded.

"And Vegeta," Bulma said urgently.

"What about Goku and Goten?"

"And Trunks!" Videl leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath.

"It's a long story," she said. "I'll try to put it in a nutshell. A long time ago, a warlock named Bibbidi made a djinn called 'Boo'. Boo was really powerful, and killed a whole lot of people. He even became too much for his creator, so Bibbidi cast a spell on him and trapped him. But he has a son now, Bobbidi, who wants to free Boo. But he needs an incredible amount of raw energy to do that, so he took over the minds of two people and sent them to the Budôkai to get some,"

"Spopovich and Yamu," Bulma realized.

"Right," Videl nodded. "That's what they did to Gohan, they sucked out his energy,"

"But what about Kibito and Shin?" Yamcha asked. "Where do they come into play?" Videl's face screwed up.

"It's complicated. They said that there's a 'Kami' sama, who's the god of Earth, and above him stand the Lords of the Worlds, Kaiô sama, and there's four of them- North, South, East and West. And there's their leader, and then, above him, there's Kaiô Shin sama, the Lord of the Lords," Bulma's mouth dropped open.

"That little guy... was the ruler of the gods?" she said, stunned. No wonder he was so strange! He was on a whole other dimension away from them.

"And the others...?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Went to stop Bobbidi from releasing Boo," Videl explained. "The Lord of Lords let Spopovich and Yamu get energy so that he could track them back to Bobbidi's spaceship,"

"Wait, what?" Bulma asked. "_Spaceship?_" Videl shrugged.

"Boo was going to destroy Earth right before he got trapped. So that's where his shell landed, along with Bobiddi's spaceship,"

"And what about Goten and Trunks?" Chi-Chi asked. "They took off, do you know where they went?" Videl nodded.

"Yeah, I ran into them on my way back. I told them what was going on, and they took off after everyone else. I think they wanted to see the djinn,"

"B- but they're just kids!" Chi-Chi cried. "They can't go along with everyone else, they'll be killed!"

"I'm sure the adults'll make sure they stay out of harm's way," Bulma reassured her. "Both of their fathers are there," Suddenly, Bulma noticed that the crowd had gone silent. She looked around for the source, and down on the stage there were four people. Shin, Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta, who was a Super Saiyan. Gohan, Goku and the Lord of the Lords were looking around in astonishment at their new surroundings, but Vegeta just stared straight ahead at Goku.

"What-?" Bulma said. "How did they get here all of a sudden?" She ran across the stands, trying to get closer. "Hey, Vegeta!" he either didn't hear her or didn't care. He was smiling that smile he used to have, back in the old days. It was not the quietly amused smile, or even the arrogant one, but the one that was pure malice. The scary, unpredictable one. Bulma noticed that there were veins throbbing on his arms and temples, and that the skin around his eyes had turned black. And then she saw the "M" on the forehead, bending around his widow's peak.

"It _is _them!" Yamcha said, catching up to her.

"What's going on?" Kame Sen'nin asked.

"I wish I knew," Bulma had a bad feeling about this. Something was off... things didn't seem right.

Her feeling of dread was confirmed when Vegeta's smile widened to a grin and he extended one of his arms in front of him, fingers pressed together. His yellow aura was momentarily replaced with dark red as an explosion of energy burst forth from his palm and blasted towards Goku, who crossed his wrists in front of his face defensively. The ray of chi knocked Goku out of the way, and hit the crowd. A deafening explosion ripped through the air, and Bulma closed her eyes against the bright light. She opened them to the smoking ruins of what used to be hundreds of people, one side of the stands, and a block or two of South City.

And Vegeta wouldn't stop smiling.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sigh... this part always makes me sad. :(**_

Chapter Five

Everyone left alive in the arena screamed and scrambled for the exits. Goku was glaring at Vegeta in a deeply hurt way. Bulma knew that Goku actually did see Vegeta as an ally and team-mate, if not a friend, and he must feel betrayed. But right now Bulma didn't care about Goku. She was telling herself over and over again that this wasn't actually happening, that there had been a mistake. But facts don't lie, and Bulma knew what she had seen. She had seen her husband casually murder hundreds of people in cold blood. And she had no idea why.

Bulma leaned over the railing and screamed at him. "Vegeta! What's _wrong_ with you?" Again, he gave no indication that he had heard her. She strained to get closer, to _make _him hear her. "Listen to me!" Nothing.

She was finally close enough to hear what they were saying. Goku's voice drifted to her, as if in a dream.

"Vegeta, did you... let Bobiddi control you on purpose?" That last word echoed around Bulma brain. Purpose... purpose... he did this on purpose... but WHY?! Why would he choose this over... over the happy life at Capsule Corp.? Choose this over being Trunks's father? Over... her?

Vegeta didn't answer Goku, just charged up another deadly chi blast and sent it hurtling _right at their section _before Bulma could even blink. It hit the wall and exploded about twenty feet away from them, so the worst was just some dust. But Bulma couldn't help see how close that was to their group. Did Vegeta know that he had almost killed them? Or did he just not care?

Tears sprung to Bulma eyes, and she didn't even know why. She was feeling too many powerful emotions, she didn't know what to do. All she could do was stand there and watch.

Goku was looking horrible now, angry and desparate and helpless, while Vegeta smiled his terrible, small smile. At once, Bulma saw loathing in Goku's normally kind features. He had never shown such open hatred to a person, at least, not that Bulma could remember. And she knew what game Vegeta was playing, because she knew him. He was provoking Goku with one of the only things he couldn't tolerate: hurting innocents. Why? So Goku would fight him. Because that's what it was all about: defeating Goku and proving that he was the strongest of them all.

Goku, still glaring at Vegeta with open hatred, turned Super Saiyan himself. He had consented to the fight.

"Don't do it!" the Lord of the Lords begged. Vegeta only smiled wider. "This is what Bobbidi wants, he'll absorb your energy and wake Boo!" Goku ignored Shin.

"Vegeta..." he said. "You surrendered to Bobbidi's spell on purpose, to make me fight. Am I right?"

"If I hadn't, I'd never get to fight you. After today you're leaving this world forever," He even _sounded _like he used to; there was a faint undercurrent of aggression in his voice.

"Just... to fight him? Are you that insane?!" the Lord of Lords cried.

"Insane?! You think this is 'insane'!" Vegeta yelled, his voice dripping with disgust. "Who cares about Boo? This is what I live for!" Vegeta gritted his teeth and pointed at Goku. "He surpassed me," he spat, "He's Saiyan just like me, but he far out-stripped me! Me- the Prince! The strongest of them all!" he was doubled over with rage, hands clenched into fists. "Once... he even saved my life! I can't stand it! I can't...!" Suddenly, all Bulma wanted to do was to take him in her arms and somehow ease this terrible frustraction, to make him happy with what he had, to soothe him. But she couldn't, she was far out of her comfort zone. They never should have gone to the Budôkai in the first place.

"Bobbidi!" Goku yelled to the empty air. Was the mysterious warlock watching them? "Take us someplace where there's no people, then I'll fight him!" The Lord of Lords tried to stop him by getting in the way, but Goku started charging up a huge chi blast and he called Kaiô Shin's bluff. And then, just like that, they were gone again.

Bulma supported herself on the bar, she didn't trust her shaking knees to hold her weight. She felt like she was in shock, everything was blurry around the edges and it was almost like she was underwater. How nice it would be, to drift down deeper and deeper, leaving all the nightmares behind.

"-Bulma!" She looked up, and Yamcha was trying to get her attention.

"What?" she asked dully.

"We've got the dragon balls at our place, we can bring everyone back to life!" That caught her attention.

"Oh, yeah! Good thinking. Let's go right now, before their families get worried," She led everybody to the exit. The going was a lot faster now that most of the crowd had run away screaming.

But, even as she plastered a hopeful smile on her face, Bulma knew that getting the dragon balls to fix things wouldn't change the fact that Vegeta had become a mass-murderer. Bulma was clinging on to the small hope that, maybe, he might not have known what Bobbidi would make him do. And it worked, for now. But when Yamcha offered to fly the plane, she didn't refuse him.

Everyone plied into the airplane, and Bulma sat in the co-pilot's seat. She slouched back in the chair, and looked out the window as the plane took off. She remembered that morning, when everything had been normal and good. Trunks stretched out across a whole bench. The happy rush she got from texting secretly back and forth with Vegeta. Seeing all their friends again.

Bulma wished she was a plane. Any piece of machinery, really. She would just do what she was told, no decisions to make. And if she broke, chances are that someone would fix her.

When she saw Vegeta again, alone, after the world had been saved, Bulma thought that she could forgive him. It all depended on whether or not he would be back to normal. The reason why Bulma was willing to let this slide was, in fact, because he had never shown her any real love or affection. She knew that there was still room for him to grow a real heart, and she would wait for him. Be it a month or five more years, she would be there.

In theory. In real life, Bulma felt psychologically disturbed. Her head was pounding and there was a dull ache in her chest.

"Why?" she murmured to herself. "Why did Vegeta do that?" Yamcha overheard her.

"Don't worry about it," he soothed. "That's what the dragon balls are for! We'll bring the people he killed back to life," But as much as Bulma appreciated Yamcha's comforting, he just didn't understand. She wasn't really wondering why, she probably should have said "how". How could Vegeta do that.

"He was acting odd, though," the Muten Rōshi said thoughtfully. "Full of evil, the way he used to be, long ago," Off in the distance, there was a loud and deep _boom._ It reminded Bulma of thunder, but about ten times more powerful. All around them, the air got violent and smashed against the plane, which swayed back and forth. The sea underneath them grew choppy with waves.

"What was _that_?!" Yamcha cried.

"It's like the atmosphere shook!" said Chi-Chi.

"A massive explosion, far away..." the Turtle Hermit whispered, looking out the window.

Something was bad about all this. _Why do I feel so... uneasy? _Bulma thought nervously to herself. _Something about Vegeta..._ Suddenly, all she wanted was to be sure that he was safe. Her stomach twisted into a knot. Something had happened. No, it was probably nothing. Whatever it was, it had missed. It _had _to have missed.

They sat in a tense silence for the rest of the ride, and the second they touched down, Bulma rushed out of the plane and went straight for her room, where she kept the dragon balls. She snatched the bag off her shelf and dashed back to the others, not sure why she was so frantic. Bulma supposed that it was because that explosion had to be people fighting. It was okay, they would beat whoever it was.

"I got them," Bulma gasped and emptied the bag next to where everyone was standing, just outside the door to her house. "Come on out, Shenlong!" The seven orange dragon balls started to glow and the sky went dark, as suddenly as if someone had flicked a light switch. A wave of magical energy burst from the balls and formed the body of Shenlong the dragon.

It still took Bulma's breath away; the dragon had to be as big as her house!

"Reflect upon your desires, mortals," Shenlong boomed in an unearthly voice. "I shall grant you any three wishes,"

"How should we put it?" wondered Bulma.

"Bring everyone who died today back to life!" Yamcha said. "Oh, except the bad guys! That should do it,"

"Thanks," Bulma added gratefully. Shenlong paused for a second or two.

"Your first wish has been granted. What is your next wish?"

"Oh no!" a voice cried. "I didn't make it in time!" Everyone turned, and there was Son Goku, looking panicky.

"Goku?" Bulma exclaimed. Oh, right, he could teleport. But why wasn't he fighting? Was the battle already over? Goku put a finger on his temple.

"Dende! Can you hear me? They got one wish already," he paused for a moment, as if on the phone. "Got it! Oh, and since they're all here, tell Kuririn I'll bring 'em all over," then he turned to the dragon, who was waiting for their next wish. "Shenlong, we don't need the rest yet! Thanks again," The great dragon nodded.

"Fare you well," he rumbled, then vanished. The seven dragon balls, still in the air, scattered to the ends of the earth.

"G-Goku! What's this about?" Yamcha asked. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain everything when we get to Kami sama's place," Goku said. "Is everyone ready?"

"Wait!" Bulma cried. "I have to find my parents. Back in a flash!" She ran off.

_Let's see... it's mid-afternoon, so... they'll be having tea! _Bulma sped to the tearoom. Just as she thought, they were at a table eating little cookies and sipping from expensive china cups.

"Mom! Dad!" she said. They both looked up.

"Hi sweetie, back from the tournament?" her mother chirped.

"Yeah. Listen, something came up and I think we're in danger. I need you guys to come with me to a safe place," Her father blinked and looked around at the dinosaurs and dogs, then at the black cat on his shoulder.

"Well, I would, but I have to take care of my animals," he said.

"I'll keep you company!" her mother smiled. Bulma's mouth dropped open.

"You mean... you're not coming? Mom, dad, people are dying! It's not safe!" They just shrugged.

"Oh, you can bring us back to life with the dragon balls if we die," her father said.

"I can't believe you two!" Bulma fumed. "Well, goodbye. I am going!" They both said farewell to her, and Bulma hurried back to Goku and the others.

The second Goku saw her come back, he put the first two fingers of one hand on his forehead and raised the other arm over the group of them. Capsule Corp. and the City of the West flickered away, to be replaced with the tiled floor and clear skies all around of Kami sama's floating palace. Dende hurried up to greet them, Kuririn close behind. Behind them, Piccolo was looking at the skies, Mr. Popo next to him.

"We're here!" Goku called to Kami sama, who smiled at the group.

"Where're your parents, Bulma?" Yamcha asked. Bulma shrugged.

"They didn't want to leave the pets. They told me to just bring them back to life later if anything happens," Kuririn picked up Marron and rested her on his hip.

"If only we knew where Tenshinhan was, too," he said, a worried look on his face.

"Say," Chi-Chi was looking around. "Where are Gohan and Goten?"

"And Trunks and Vegeta," Bulma didn't see her son or husband either. Just Kuririn, Piccolo, Dende and Mr. Popo.

Goku looked serious.

"We have to tell them sooner or later..." he said. Bulma gulped. "Goten and Trunks are safe. But Gohan and Vegeta are dead. Boo killed them." Bulma's heart stopped. Her eyes wide open in shock, it was if she had been slapped. He must be joking. Vegeta couldn't die! But she saw the look on Goku's face, and she knew he was telling the truth. Next to her, Chi-Chi fainted.

"Vegeta..." she swallowed. "...Is dead...?" her eyes brimming with tears, Bulma felt like throwing up. He had already died on Namek, so that meant... the dragon balls only brought you back to life once. He wasn't coming back.

"Nooo!" she sobbed. She would never argue with him again, never tease him, not even _see _him, she still had to teach him to play go...

It was at that moment that Bulma's heart broke. Her dear, proud Prince, the one person other than Trunks whom she loved more than anything, was gone forever.


	6. Chapter 6

_**And here is the conclusion to my little two-part series. I'm really happy with the way all of this turned out, I hope you enjoy it. If you have any requests for what I should do next, feel free to tell me. Otherwise, unless I get a great idea, I may not post anything new for a while. But, as always, I'll stop rambling on and just let you read the darn thing! **_

Chapter 5

One day later

The Lord of the Lords's Planet

"...Then let's heal him and head home," Kakarrot was saying. "I want a big meal and a long nap!" The young Namekian, Dende, stepped up to the unconscious figure of Fat Boo and placed his hand on the djinn's chest. Vegeta sighed and looked away. He had warned them that this wasn't a good idea, but they had done it anyway. Whatever. If Boo turned on them and destroyed the Earth, that would be Kakarrot's problem.

After Boo was restored to health, Kakarrot turned to the group.

"Okay! Everyone ready?" he asked. Vegeta scowled, trying to decided whether to speak up or not.

"...Kakarrot," he said. "Can you hold on for a few minutes?" The other Saiyan raised his eyebrows.

"Sure, Vegeta," he said at last. "Take as much time as you need." Kakarrot didn't question his motives, and Vegeta was grateful to him for that, though he didn't look it. He took off and flew until he couldn't see the others, then he dropped to the ground. He needed to think.

Vegeta was relieved that the menace of Boo was over, and he was happy to be alive again. But Kakarrot was as unattainably powerful as ever, if not more so. So then why did he feel so... anticipatory? He wanted to get back to Earth... back to Bulma.

Vegeta realized that he missed his wife. He wanted to see her. It should disgust him, how soft he was getting, but it didn't. He was so mixed up and conflicted, he didn't know what to do.

_Go see her. Tell her that she matters. You've never done that before, _an annoying little voice in his head nagged. _Tell her about your problem. She'll be able to help, she knows about things like that. _He was pretty sure that Bulma liked him. She had when she was younger, before he had hurt her. Stupid. He had been so stupid back then. Too proud to see how intelligent she was, arrogantly thinking himself her superior because he was physically stronger. How wrong he had been.

For some reason, Vegeta got a thrill when thinking back to when she cared about him. He liked her caring about him. But then, he remembered her look of horror as he calmly snuffed out hundreds of people's lives. He had noticed her, and even though he tried his hardest to kill her, to eliminate his last emotional weak point, he couldn't do it. That had been the turning point for him. That was when he had first considered that maybe he couldn't revert back to the way he had been. But he resisted, as he was prone to do, and then he died.

Vegeta wondered if she would forgive him. Bulma was a good person, and good people did not approve of the slaughtering of innocents.

There was no use dwelling here. He would go back and see her, and by tonight things would be settled, for better or for worse. He flew back to Kakarrot, who smiled at him.

"All done?" he said. Vegeta ignored him. Kakarrot placed his first and middle fingers on his forehead and the group disappeared. For an instant, there was only a black void, then the floating palace materialized around them and there was solid ground under Vegeta's feet. The Lord of Lords said goodbye to them and teleported back to his own realm.

Vegeta, Kakarrot and Dende walked around the corner, to be greeted with the welcome sight of their friends and family. Vegeta kept his arms crossed and didn't show any reaction, but he was drinking in the sight of Bulma.

"Dad!" Trunks shouted over the noise, and Vegeta allowed his son a small smile. Everyone was a chaotic, screaming mess and he tried to escape, but somehow he found himself in front of Bulma. She didn't say anything, just closed her eyes and flung her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He was too surprised to move, too distracted by her sweet perfume and her soft and warm body. He only stood there and experience her, trying not to show any reaction whatsoever. He wasn't used to friendly contact.

He was saved when Hercule and Boo rounded the corner and everybody panicked. But soon, that "crisis" was averted and there was a relaxed air about the place as the people talked to their loved ones. Vegeta had retreated to the outskirts of the group, leaning against a stone pillar, and took a few deep breaths. He needed to talk to Bulma, but he couldn't do it in front of all these people. No matter, she was coming towards him and he would suggest that they go home.

"Hey," she said. "Trunks wants to have a sleepover with Goten, is that okay?" He shrugged.

"As long as it's not at our place," Vegeta said. "When are we going to leave?"

"Right now, if you want," Bulma said. "I'll just tell Trunks that he can stay over at Chi-Chi's," and she walked away. Vegeta once again admired how easily parenting seemed to come to her. He really had to work at it, and he still found himself getting frustrated at his son. But Bulma had become a mother effortlessly, giving Trunks lots of love but setting rules, having a bottomless tolerance for him.

Bulma strolled over to him.

"Okay, Trunks is all set to go, so- oh darn!" she slapped her forehead. "I didn't bring the plane."

"I can take you," Vegeta said. "I can fly faster than a plane, anyway." A dazzling smile that made Vegeta warm inside grew on Bulma's face.

"Really?" He nodded. "How?"

"Hmm," Vegeta put his arm behind her knees and knocked her legs out from under her. Before she could fall, he scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. "Like this?" She looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. She was shivering, tiny, almost imperceptible, tremors in her arms, legs and belly. Vegeta doubted Bulma was even aware she was doing it.

He walked to the edge of the platform and stepped off. The wind rushed past them, and Bulma nestled closer to him. Vegeta gritted his teeth and tried not to sigh with pleasure. When they got to Capsule Corp., he would tell her. He would!

He flew as fast as he could without hurting her. The air currents could get strong enough to bruise ordinary human skin, and Vegeta tried to keep that in mind. He savored the feel of Bulma in his arms, not knowing when he'd get to hold her again. She didn't seem cross, but she could have just forgotten about his "spree" in the high of Boo's defeat.

They arrived at the circular mansion far too soon for Vegeta's liking, and he gently set her down.

"Thanks for the ride," she smiled at him. "So I guess I'll see you later?" Vegeta took a deep breath.

"Actually, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" She frowned and searched his face, trying to see what he was thinking. Vegeta had been careful to make his expression completely neutral, though, and she didn't find anything. However, she nodded all the same.

"Sure. What's up?" He glanced around. Although they were past the gates of Capsule Corp., they were still in full view of the people in the streets.

"Can we go someplace more private? The garden, maybe?" he suggested. Bulma bit her lip, for some reason looking a little nervous.

"Um, okay. Lead the way," she said, and he took off at a pace that was faster than walking, but slow enough that she could keep up. When they reached the doors leading to the garden, he pushed them open without hesitation and headed straight for one of the many benches scattered throughout the large room. He turned his back to her and crossed his arms, trying to think. How should he go about this? Where could he even start?

"Vegeta?" Bulma asked, sitting down beside him. Glancing over his shoulder, Vegeta saw that she was staring straight ahead at the garden, not looking at him. "When you let Bobbidi control you, you didn't know that he'd make you kill all those people... right?" He sighed, turning to face her. And so it began.

"To be honest, I had anticipated something of the sort. But..." he clenched his teeth. "Bobbidi didn't force me to do anything. All my actions were my own," Bulma stared at him, her face a bit paler than normal. Vegeta figured that he may as well go all the way. "I tried to kill you," he admitted. She started, and for a second her eyes flickered to the exits, seeing that they were alone. Vegeta closed his eyes, realizing how this looked. "Bulma-"

"Why, Vegeta?" A single tear trailed down her cheek, and he was momentarily distracted by it. He was causing her pain. It wasn't supposed to be like this. "What did I do wrong?"

"Don't say that," he told her, his voice dangerously low. "It's my fault. I was getting too weak, I needed to be strong again."

"And are you?" Bulma whispered. "Did killing all those people make you feel better? Why didn't you go the whole nine yards and take care of me, as well? Or is that what you're about to do?" Vegeta jumped to his feet, eyes blazing.

"No! You're getting this all wrong!" he cried. "What I'm trying to say is, I made a mistake. I regret my actions. But not nearly as much as I would if I had slaughtered you." He took a step towards her, eyes pleading her to understand. Bulma looked uncertain. "You are one of my weaknesses. I hated that. I wanted to be unbeatable. But even with the destructive rage of Bobbidi's enchantment flowing through my veins, I couldn't bring myself to murder you,"

"You hated that?" Bulma asked softly, "Why the past tense?" Vegeta gathered his courage and steeled himself. This was it.

"I have decided to believe... that it may be acceptable to care about things," he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "... I care about you," Bulma inhaled sharply, and Vegeta could almost hear her heart pounding.

"You... do...?" she asked faintly. She swayed on her feet a bit, and Vegeta grabbed her shoulders in case she lost her balance. Bulma sobbed and fell forwards onto him.

"I'm so happy," she said, her voice trembling. "... Never thought I'd see the day." Vegeta couldn't help but laugh at her face, so full of wonder. When she was happy, he was happy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so joyful. Not when Kakarrot was running towards them at the Tenka'ichi Budôkai. Not when Trunks had done something or other, and she had laughed and laughed. Not that one night, long ago, when he had agreed to love her for a few hours, for all the wrong reasons, though she didn't know that at the time.

"I care about you, too," she said, and his heart sang with joy. He hugged her close, then pulled back. They spent a few long moments just looking at each other, eyes sparkling. Now there were no more loose ends and all was right in the world. They both simultaneously leaned forward and kissed.

**END**

_**And there you have it. See you later, or maybe not. I don't really know at this point.**_

_**Thanks so much to everyone who stuck with this story. I love you all!**_

_**Saiyanara,**_

_**~Lily Sang**_


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